Condom City
by Crash's Angel
Summary: Kagome takes condoms to the past Sesshoumaru makes a treaty w Inuyasha Deals and pacts are made Miroku finds out what the condoms are for. Note: This is the prequel to my other fic, The Job. It's Done. Finished. Complete. OVER! Final chap now up!
1. The Insanity Begins

Warning: This fic is not intended for viewing by children or anyone that is opposed to sexual situations being talked frankly about. If you find mention of sexual situations disturbing, do not read this fic.  
  
Chapter 1: The Insanity Begins  
  
Kagome was walking down the hallway of her school, on her way to her next class, when she spotted Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka standing off in a little hallway looking at something. She decided to go over to them and see what had captivated their attention. She tapped Yuka on the shoulder to get her attention and let out a short scream when Yuka jumped. Once Kagome had calmed down, she looked up to see her three friends looking around the hallway, to see if anyone noticed them, pulling Kagome further into the hallway they were standing in.  
  
"Why are you guys so jumpy," Kagome asked them, looking at all three of them suspiciously.  
  
The three girls once again looked around and then turned to Kagome. "Because of these," Ayumi said, showing Kagome a large bag full of condoms.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened. "Where did you get those," she asked surprised. "You aren't supposed to have those on school grounds. Why do you even have them," she asked them, trying to keep her voice down so as to not draw attention to them, but failing in her excitement.  
  
"Oh man, there's a teacher coming. We have to do something with those. Now," Eri said from the end of the hallway where she had been standing as look out.  
  
Yuka and Ayumi looked at each other, worried as Eri came back to them. "We don't have anywhere to put them that the teacher wouldn't notice or look," Ayumi said almost frantically.  
  
Kagome sighed and took her bag off of her back and opened it. "Here, you can put them in here," she said holding it out to them.  
  
"Oh, thank you Kagome-chan," Ayumi said stuffing the bag of condoms into Kagome's offered bag.  
  
Kagome had just closed her bag and had placed it back on her shoulders as the teacher came around the corner and looked at them suspiciously. "What are you four doing here," the female teacher asked them.  
  
"Nothing. We're just talking where it isn't as noisy," Kagome answered for her nervous friends. "We were just going to head to class now," she added, grabbing Yuka and Ayumi's arms and walking past the teacher with Eri following behind. They all bowed to the teacher on the way by and then hurried down the hallway to their next class.  
  
"I am so glad you were well enough to come to school today, Kagome-chan," Ayumi said when they reached their seats in the classroom. "If you hadn't been here today, we would have been caught and in some serious trouble," she added, bowing to Kagome before taking her seat.  
  
"Yea, Kagome-chan," Eri and Yuka added, following suit.  
  
Kagome blushed a bit, glad that she had finally gotten Inuyasha to let her come back to the present time the previous night so that she could attend school. Well, he hadn't exactly said she could come, she just sat him until she could get through the well, and it had been late enough that he let her stay the night. Normally, he would have followed her right away, but Kagome figured that he realized she needed a break. Then she remembered what caused the whole problem to begin with. "Why did you have them in the first place," she asked the three girls.  
  
Yuka blushed. "My brother thought it would be really funny to put them in my bag right before I left for school this morning. I didn't notice it until after I got to school," she told the time-travelling miko.  
  
"What a jerk," Kagome muttered.  
  
"Yea, but he's a cute jerk," Ayumi said, her voice all dreamy.  
  
"Yuck, that's my brother you're dreaming about," she said completely disgusted.  
  
"True, but you have to admit that he's cute," Eri said.  
  
"Whatever," Yuka said with a roll of her eyes. That made the girls giggle a bit, even Yuka. They stopped and paid attention when the teacher came into the room and began to teach the lesson.  
  
The rest of the day passed smoothly except for all of the make- up tests that Kagome had to take. By the end of the day, Kagome and her friends had forgotten about the incident of that morning. She rushed out of the building as soon as she could, hoping to get home before Inuyasha decided to go into the city looking for her. As she reached the top step and ran towards her home, she was confronted by a very angry looking inu hanyou.  
  
"We are going back now," he told her as he grabbed her wrist and started dragging her towards the mini well shrine.  
  
"Inuyasha, at least let me get my other bag. This is my good bag for school," Kagome protested, trying to pull her wrist from his tight grip. "I don't even have any clothes in this bag. Or my bow and arrows."  
  
"It doesn't matter as long as you have the shards, and I already know you do," Inuyasha growled. "So we are going now." Kagome's continuous fighting against his hold on her wrist was irritating him, so he stopped and turned to face her. "Stop fighting," he growled out. Then he picked her up by the waist and tossed her over his shoulder. He entered the shrine and hopped down the well without a second thought. When he hit the bottom in the Warring States Era he jumped back out and landed on the lip of the well. Inuyasha refused to release her until they were safe within the village, and even then he kept a hand on her back pushing her towards the hut closest to Kaede's that he had been allowed to use while in the village.  
  
"Would you stop pushing me, Inuyasha," Kagome asked the irate hanyou, stopping in her tracks.  
  
"No," Inuyasha ground out between his clenched teeth. "You ran away from me once. I'm not letting you run away from me again." To counteract the softness in his voice and the possessive statement, he shoved her inside the hut.  
  
Kagome was so stunned that she couldn't protest when she was pushed through the door, nor when she was pushed down to sit on the floor.  
  
"Kagommmmeeee," Shippo screamed when he launched him small, furry body into her arms. "You came back. What did mutt face do to you that made you leave," he asked, letting a small growl rumble forth at the inu hanyou.  
  
"Shut up you twerp. I already told you, I didn't do anything," Inuyasha growled back at the kit.  
  
"He's right, Shippo-chan. He didn't do anything. I just needed to go to school today," Kagome told the young kitsune.  
  
"But why did you have to leave? What's so great about those tests," Shippo asked.  
  
Kagome tried to think of a way to explain it to him that he would understand. Then an idea came to her. "Okay, everyone is in one large pack where I come from and the tests that I take set my status in that pack. Do you understand," she asked him.  
  
Shippo nodded. "I guess I understand. But I still don't like you going back," he told her as he crossed his arms over his chest and took on a pose that resembled Inuyasha greatly.  
  
"Don't worry, runt. She isn't going anywhere for a long time," Inuyasha grunted from behind the two.  
  
Kagome looked over her shoulder at him and Shippo glared at him. "What about her tests? She needs to establish her status in her pack," Shippo protested. "I don't like her going back to her time, but she needs to do it."  
  
Inuyasha growled. "She's not going anywhere," he repeated. "She doesn't need to."  
  
Kagome looked down at Shippo when he started to growl again and then at Inuyasha again. "Uh, Shippo, could you go find something to do? Inuyasha and I need to talk," Kagome ask the young kit. Kagome stood up and grabbed Inuyasha's sleeve and tugged him up and out the door. "What is your problem," she hissed at him when they were out of Shippo's hearing range and out of sight of anyone else.  
  
"I don't have a problem. You're the one that keeps running off," Inuyasha told her. "I don't know why you have to keep going back there."  
  
"Because I have to take those tests," Kagome told him. "I already explained it. Besides, maybe if I had an actual reason to stay, I wouldn't keep 'running off', as you put it," she said angrily. Kagome huffed and turned her back to him, her arms crossed over her chest.  
  
Inuyasha growled and did the only thing he could think of. He walked up behind her, grabbed her shoulder, spinned her around, and firmly placed his lips over hers. He snaked one arm around her waist and placed his other hand on her cheek, careful of his claws. After watching Kagome's eyes slide shut, he allowed his own to fall shut. He felt Kagome shift closer to his body and one of her arms go around his shoulder. Inuyasha was taken completely off guard when her other hand suddenly appeared on his sensitive ear and began rubbing the base. Inuyasha let a happy growl rumble in his chest as he broke off the kiss and pulled back enough to look her in the eye as they fluttered open.  
  
"Is that reason enough to stay," he asked a bit breathless.  
  
Kagome nodded, a bit breathless. "I think so."  
  
"Good, then no more running off without me."  
  
"You can't run off either," Kagome said, sadness coming through in her voice and eyes.  
  
Inuyasha shook his head. "Never again," he swore. "I haven't left your side in a long time," he pointed out.  
  
Kagome nodded. "That's right, you haven't," she agreed. "But we still need to talk more later. Just not now. I don't think we should leave Shippo alone for very long," she said.  
  
Inuyasha nodded and led Kagome back to the hut. He pulled aside the mat over the doorway for her and started in after her, only to walk into her back. He looked into the room and saw Shippo with Kagome's bag open and the contents spilled all over the floor, including a smaller bag that was made of stuff that she had told him was called plastic in her time.  
  
Kagome ran into the hut and grabbed the bag of condoms from the kit and stuffed it back into her school bag.  
  
"Kagome, is that a present for me," Shippo asked, pointing at the bag that had just disappeared in her school bag.  
  
"Yea, wench, what are those," Inuyasha asked, going back to his usual gruffness. He didn't want the young kitsune to know there had been any change in his relationship with the girl from the future.  
  
Kagome stuttered for a minute, not knowing what to tell them, and definitely not wanting to tell them the truth. "Um, Shippo- chan, those aren't toys," she told him slowly.  
  
"Well, then what are they," Shippo asked, incredibly curious.  
  
"Something that I am keeping for a friend."  
  
"Yea, but what are they?" Shippo gave her his best little kid pout, making his eyes large and round, and his bottom lip began to quiver.  
  
Kagome sighed. She could never resist his little kid pout. She pulled out one of the condoms from her bag and opened it and handed it to Shippo. "Here, play with it," Kagome told him.  
  
"Yay! But what do I do with it," Shippo asked her, rolling the round object around in his hands.  
  
"First you hook one finger in it of one hand and then you pull it back with the other hand," Kagome instructed the kit.  
  
He did as she instructed and then showed it to her. "Like this?"  
  
Kagome nodded her approval with a smile, forced as it was.  
  
"Now what do I do with it," the young kit inquired.  
  
"Now you aim at something and then let go with your hand that is holding it back."  
  
Shippo nodded and aimed at the first thing he thought of; Inuyasha. He let it loose and it landed on Inuyasha's right ear. While it had been in the air, it had unrolled a bit and now hung loosely from the tip of his ear and swung when his ear twitched.  
  
Kagome tried to hide her snicker behind her hand, but soon was holding her sides as she rolled around on the floor, laughing loudly. She was amazed that Inuyasha hadn't yelled at Shippo yet, or at least taken it off of his ear. She saw Shippo was about to go get the rubber off of his ear, but she stopped him by handing him another one. 'Might as well use them up for fun,' Kagome thought as she watched Shippo aim the next condom at Inuyasha's other ear and let loose. This one also unrolled a bit as it flew through the air until it landed on the tip of the hanyou's ear.  
  
"Does this mean I get to play with them now," Shippo asked.  
  
Kagome nodded. "Yes, but you have to let me open them, okay."  
  
"Okay. Can I have another one," he asked eagerly.  
  
Kagome giggled as she opened yet another condom for Shippo and handed it to him. She watched as he stuck his tongue out the corner of his mouth while he aimed, but she noticed he was aiming much lower than Inuyasha's ears. She looked towards Inuyasha as he sat in a corner of the hut and noticed that he had his thumb pointing up in the air, almost like a target. Kagome looked up at his face and saw his golden eyes intently staring at her and that the corners of his lips were barely lifted up in a smile directed at her.  
  
Shippo let the condom lose and it flew through the air. The little kit watched as his new toy unrolled a bit, like the previous ones had, and landed around Inuyasha's thumb. Shippo looked towards Kagome excitedly. "I did it," he cheered. "Can I have another one," he asked.  
  
Kagome nodded and handed him another one after she opened it.  
  
Shippo shot off a few more condoms, most of them aimed at Inuyasha's head, until Inuyasha suddenly stood up growling.  
  
"What's the matter, Inuyasha," Kagome asked him, standing up as well.  
  
"I smell Sesshoumaru close by. Too close." Still growling, he ran out of the hut, leaving the mat flapping in his wake.  
  
"Come on Shippo, he may need our help," Kagome said as she grabbed a bow and quiver of arrows out of the corner of the hut. Shippo hopped on up her shoulder as she ran out the door and he pointed her in the direction their hanyou friend had gone. When they caught up with him, he was growling at a particular set of trees.  
  
"Sesshoumaru, get out here, now. I know you're there," Inuyasha growled.  
  
"Very good, brother dear," Sesshoumaru said, stepping out from behind a tree. "I've only been waiting ..." He cut his sentence short as he looked at Inuyasha's head. "What is that on your head," he asked, stunned, his eyes going wide.  
  
"What are you ... Oh shit." Remembering the odd toys Shippo had shot at his head, he ran his hands through his hair, grabbing all of them out of his hair, remembering to grab the ones off of his ears. He angrily threw them into some bushes as he glared at Sesshoumaru again. "Now what are you doing here," Inuyasha demanded.  
  
Sesshoumaru just stared at him, stunned. "What are those and what were they doing on your ears," he asked, looking from the bushes where Inuyasha had tossed the items, to his head, not realizing that those were the same bushes he had told Rin to stay in.  
  
Inuyasha growled at Sesshoumaru and walked up to him until he was right in front of his older brother.  
  
Sesshoumaru looked down at Inuyasha and raised a hand to the hanyou's head. "You missed one," he said, almost curiously, as he pulled the object from Inuyasha's hair.  
  
Inuyasha's eyes went wide as he looked at his elder brother. "What is your problem," he screamed.  
  
Kagome walked up behind Inuyasha and grabbed his arm and pulled him back away from Sesshoumaru a bit. "Uh, I think you need to calm down, Inuyasha," she told him. He looked over his shoulder at her and raised an eyebrow. "I don't think he's here to fight," she added, hoping to calm him some.  
  
Suddenly, he heard giggling coming from the bushes off to his right, where he had thrown the 'toys'. Then he heard a squawk coming from the same bushes.  
  
"Get that infernal thing off of my staff," Jaken screamed as he stumbled from the bushes, Rin following after him, giggling.  
  
Kagome noticed something odd about his staff and began giggling herself when she saw it. There was a condom pulled over the top of the staff. Apparently Rin had found one of the condoms that Inuyasha had thrown over there and put it on Jaken's staff.  
  
"Jaken, Rin, what are you doing," Sesshoumaru asked, his voice back to it's usual coldness.  
  
"I am sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama. Please forgive this Jaken. The child found an odd object and placed it on this humble servant's staff," Jaken said, bowing so low that he looked like he was doing an impression of Inuyasha when the subduing spell had been activated.  
  
"Jaken, take Rin back Ah-Un and wait for me there."  
  
Jaken quickly looked up at his lord and then bowed low again, about to thank his master for not punishing him, but Rin latched onto Sesshoumaru's leg with a cry.  
  
"No. I don't want to leave Sesshoumaru-sama."  
  
Sesshoumaru looked down at the child, then up at Inuyasha and his companions. "Is there somewhere we could sit down and talk," he asked.  
  
Inuyasha watched him for a moment, and then nodded. He turned and headed towards his hut, with Kagome right behind Inuyasha, Shippo perched on her shoulder. Sesshoumaru followed after them, his young ward and faithful servant following right behind him.  
  
End A/N: For links to my website and my yahoo group, go to my profile. – Crash's Angel 


	2. An Alliance Made

Disclaimer: I hold no rights to Inuyasha in any way. I only own characters that I create for the progression of the story.  
  
Chapter 2: An Alliance Made  
  
They reached Inuyasha's hut and he pulled open the mat, allowing the others to enter before him, sending a glare at Sesshoumaru as he passed by. Inuyasha entered the hut and sat down opposite his brother. "All right, what do you want," Inuyasha asked, not taking his eyes off his older half-brother.  
  
"I have come to propose a truce until the defeat of the evil hanyou, Naraku. He has made moves into my territory that will not be tolerated. He has also proved himself resourceful enough in the past that I realize I need help to defeat him," Sesshoumaru explained.  
  
"So you want our help," Inuyasha asked, a bit stunned by his brother's offer.  
  
Sesshoumaru barely contained his snort of disdain. "Hardly. I know that you also seek Naraku, so I have come to offer you my assistance since it will also solve a problem of my own," he told them. "Do we have a truce," he asked rather impatiently.  
  
Inuyasha looked to Kagome, who sat at his side, and a silent conversation passed between them. He looked back at his brother in front of him. "You have your truce," Inuyasha said, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"Good. Now do you mind telling me what was in your hair earlier," Sesshoumaru asked, raising an eyebrow at them.  
  
Kagome stifled a giggle as she discreetly took a condom from her back and opened it. With a large grin, she quickly took aim and fired off the condom at Sesshoumaru. She could contain her laughter no more when the object hit him in the face and the startled expression that crossed his face briefly afterwards. "That is what was in his hair earlier," Kagome told him as he picked it up between his thumb and forefinger up to his eye level and raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Why did you shoot this at me, human," he questioned, his golden eyes meeting with her sapphire blue eyes.  
  
Kagome flashed a smile at Rin. "That is what you do with them. They're toys that I brought for Shippo, but Rin can play with them, too, if she would like," Kagome explained.  
  
Before Rin could even ask Sesshoumaru for permission to play with them, Sesshoumaru nodded his consent. Rin hopped up with a big smile and ran over to Kagome and Shippo to play.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome watched as Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru stood and walked outside, leaving Jaken behind. After a few minutes, she saw them come in and sit down again. Kagome looked over at Inuyasha and caught his eye, giving him a look that said she wanted to know what that was all about later.  
  
She played with Rin and Shippo for most of the rest of the afternoon, until both children had worn themselves out, then she put them down for a nap. Once Kagome was certain the two would be out for a while, she went back out in to the main room of the hut and sat next to Inuyasha.  
  
Sesshoumaru sent Jaken out to check on their pack animal and then looked at Inuyasha and Kagome with a raised eyebrow. "If figures a hanyou like you would take a mate without properly marking her or receiving the proper approval," Sesshoumaru said disdainfully.  
  
Inuyasha growled at the youkai across from him. "What are you talking about? I haven't taken a mate," he growled, seriously wanting to sharpen his claws on Sesshoumaru's body. "And what do you mean 'proper approval,'" he asked, clenching his fists to keep from fulfilling his desires.  
  
Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha. "You may claim to have not taken a mate, but you still need my approval to mate with anyone," he hissed at Inuyasha.  
  
Kagome just sat there, watching the two brothers fight. She didn't understand what they were fighting about and wasn't about to ask them. One thing she did know, she needed to calm Inuyasha down before the argument went too far.  
  
"Why should I care if you approve of who I take as my mate," Inuyasha asked, barely restraining his anger.  
  
Kagome saw the look in Inuyasha's eyes, knowing she needed stop him soon. She placed a soothing hand gently on his arm, drawing his attention to her. "Inuyasha, calm down and let him explain what he's talking about."  
  
Inuyasha growled his dislike of the situation, but back downed, still glaring at his so-called brother. Sesshoumaru calmed down, glancing between Inuyasha and Kagome. "Well are you going to explain what in Kami-sama's name you were talking about?"  
  
"It is a family tradition, a precaution of sorts," Sesshoumaru told them. "If I should die with no heir, then your eldest son shall become the Lord of the Western Lands. It is not my wish for the Western Lands to be ruled by someone of lesser blood," he said, his voice and face looking very aloof. "The tradition is nothing but that, a tradition that was formed from a precaution that allows our family's bloodline to remain strong. But this tradition has been preformed for generations in our family, I wish for it to be continued for generations more," Sesshoumaru told them.  
  
"Keh, whatever. Why should I care about the Western Lands, anyway," Inuyasha asked.  
  
"You should care because, like that sword at your waist," Sesshoumaru said, looking pointedly at the Tetsusaiga, "and the sword at my waist," he added, gesturing towards the Tenseiga, "the lands are a part of our inheritance from our father. If we do nothing to protect them, then we would be dishonoring our heritage."  
  
"Keh, like I ever knew the old man," Inuyasha snorted. "But if you're going to be hanging around here bugging me about it, I might as well agree to get you off my back," he said with a snort.  
  
Kagome sighed her relief as she watched the two brothers actually talking civilly to each other, and then she remembered something she wanted to ask Inuyasha. "Why did you two go outside," she asked, her gazing scanning over both of the brothers.  
  
"That is none of your concern," Sesshoumaru told her.  
  
Kagome glared at him. "Too bad. I'm making it my concern now," she growled at him. "Now tell me."  
  
Sesshoumaru looked at her, a bit of respect showing in his eyes shortly, before it was quickly replaced by his usual stoic mask. "We were merely discussing a few things that have to do with our truce. It is nothing for you to worry about," he told her.  
  
Kagome glanced at Inuyasha and saw him nod at her. She turned back to Sesshoumaru and nodded her understanding, still not liking the fact that she didn't know. "I'm going to go check on the children," she told the brothers as she stood and left the room. She returned from the room she had left Shippo and Rin asleep in with a content look upon her face. She sat back down and glanced between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru as they sat in silence.  
  
"So what do you propose we do about Naraku," Inuyasha asked.  
  
"Do you not want to wait for your other companions before we make any plans," Sesshoumaru inquired.  
  
"They went with the old miko to help another village that was being attacked by youkai that was thought to have some Shikon shards," Inuyasha explained, looking at Kagome.  
  
"Naraku has been getting increasingly stronger due to the Shikon no kakera. We need do something about those first," he said.  
  
"We've been travelling around, collecting shards that Naraku doesn't have to prevent him from gaining more," Inuyasha said, tucking his hands inside his sleeves. "But he's been hiding lately, so we haven't had an opportunity to get his shards."  
  
"Not to mention the fact that Kikyo took the shards we had and gave them to him a while back," Kagome muttered grouchily.  
  
Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome with a raised brow and then turned his gaze to Inuyasha. "Is what she says true," he asked. He watched Inuyasha nod sadly. "Then she will be dealt with as well."  
  
"There's this problem with Kikyo," she said hesitantly. At Sesshoumaru's nod she continued. "She's already been dead once. A witch named Urasae brought her back to life in the hopes that Kikyo would find the shards for her, but Kikyo killed her."  
  
"So what is the problem," Sesshoumaru asked.  
  
Kagome looked at the floor, finding it to be much more interesting. "She has part of my soul," Kagome said.  
  
Sesshoumaru sent her a questioning look. "You do realize that could be deadly to you and others," he asked.  
  
Kagome nodded. "I kind of figured as much," she said quietly.  
  
"Since I will be leaving Rin in your care, this Kikyo woman will need to be dealt with immediately," Sesshoumaru said as he rose from his position on the floor.  
  
Inuyasha glared at Sesshoumaru. "Where do you think you're going," he said, standing up as well.  
  
"I am going to go take care of a problem that you should have dealt with before it became a problem," Sesshoumaru said.  
  
Shippo and Rin woke up from their nap shortly afterwards and Rin quickly noticed that Sesshoumaru had left her there, becoming quite upset. Kagome was quick to reassure her several times that he would come back for her. Once Rin was calm, Kagome made dinner for all of them, giving the children some opened condoms to play with to keep them occupied for the time being. By the time the stew she was making was done, there were once again condoms hanging from Inuyasha's ears, as well as Shippo's nose and there were a few in Rin's hair.  
  
Kagome dished up a few bowls of the stew and set them in a semicircle around the fire. She walked over to Rin and Shippo and, taking the condoms off of them, told them to go wash up and to sit down. She went over to Inuyasha, who was sitting off to one side looking quite moody, and kneeled before him, her knees not quite touching his. She reached a hand out and took the condoms off of his ears, her fingers brushing against his cheek as she drew her hand back.  
  
Inuyasha grabbed her hand and placed a quick kiss on her knuckles as he stood up and pulled her along with him. "Come on, let's get something to eat," he said quietly, dropping her hand right before Shippo and Rin came back inside. They all sat down and ate quickly, Shippo and Rin filling the silence that Inuyasha and Kagome let drift between them.  
  
After dinner, Kagome took the children outside and played tag with them while Inuyasha watched with a barely visible smile. Kagome saw it, nonetheless and stopped to return it. But her stopping gave Rin time to catch up with her and declare Kagome 'it' with a slight poke to her stomach. They ran around playing for a while longer, until almost dark, when Kagome noticed that Rin and Shippo were getting tired. She took them inside and put them to bed, with few protests from the two as she tucked them in, kissing each of them on the forehead before she left.  
  
Kagome went back outside to where Inuyasha was sitting on a fence, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "I think now is as good a time to talk as any," she said as she walked up to him.  
  
Inuyasha could sense the sadness coming from her as she came closer. He nodded as he hopped off the fence and picked her up in his arms as he ran towards the forest. He hopped up onto one of the higher branches of one of the large trees and settled her sideways in his lap. "Okay, let's talk," he said, securely wrapping his arms around her.  
  
"Why didn't you try to stop Sesshoumaru from leaving? You know he's going to go look for Kikyo," Kagome said, her voice quiet as she rested her head against his shoulder.  
  
Inuyasha sat there silent for a moment as he brushed his fingers through her hair. "That isn't Kikyo. It's just a shell of who she used to be. Besides, you are so much better than she ever was. You show your emotions and care for everyone, including me. She wanted me to change before she would consider being with me and even then she was being selfish. She wanted me to use the power of the jewel to become something I'm not so that she would no longer need to protect it," he explained to her.  
  
Kagome looked up him. "I would never want you to change. You're just fine the way you are," she said, her eyes drilling into his.  
  
Inuyasha smiled at her. "I know. That's why I love you," he told her. He leaned his forehead against hers and nuzzled her face.  
  
Kagome stared at him, dumbfounded, as what he said sunk in. "You love me," she asked. He nodded and she threw her arms around his neck, nearly causing him to lose his balance, but he managed to keep them both on the limb. "I love you, too," she told him, her voice muffled by his shoulder.  
  
Inuyasha pulled her face away from his shoulder and gently caressed her cheek. He leaned in and took her lips in a chaste kiss, pulling away before she could fully respond to the kiss. "We should probably get out of this tree before we fall out of it," he said with a smirk that made Kagome blush. He gathered her up in his arms and jumped from the tree, landing quietly on the ground below. He ran back to the village and set Kagome on her feet when they broke through the tree line.  
  
Kagome took Inuyasha's hand in her own, lovingly squeezing before letting go, but Inuyasha kept his hold on her hand. She smiled to herself as they threaded their fingers together as they walked to the hut.  
  
Inuyasha held the door mat aside for Kagome as she walked through the doorway, their hands still clasped together, and then followed in after her, the mat falling closed behind them. He watched as Kagome quietly went into the room where Rin and Shippo were fast asleep and then came back with a few of the spare blankets. Inuyasha took a few from her and made a bed on the floor for her.  
  
Kagome smiled up at him. "Thank you," she whispered as she stood on her toes and put her hands on his shoulders, placing a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. She crawled into the bed that Inuyasha had made for her, covering herself with another spare blanket.  
  
Inuyasha sat against the wall closest to Kagome and draped the last blanket over himself. He leaned his head back against the wall and listened to the surrounding village for any sounds out of the ordinary as he fell in to a light sleep. A while later he was awoken by the sound of a horse coming in to the village, accompanied by the familiar scent of Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Kaeda. He listened to the noise they were making until he heard the resounding slap of a hand hitting a cheek, the thud that came from an unconscious body hitting a wood floor, and the muttered 'hentai' that followed after. He relaxed once he was sure they were asleep and fell back into a light sleep, his ears still alert as he rested.  
  
Kagome awoke with a start a while later and sat up breathing heavily, a hand over her rapidly beating heart. She looked around the room to see if she could find the cause for her waking, but found nothing except a now wide awake Inuyasha.  
  
Inuyasha woke up when his sensitive ears picked up the sound of Kagome's increased breathing and heart rate. He saw her sit up and look around the room until her eyes came to rest on him. He crawled over to where she had been sleeping and placed a comforting hand on her back. "Are you alright, Kagome? What happened," he asked as he crouched next to her.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm not sure what happened. All I know is that I was asleep and then it felt like I got hit in the stomach by something and I woke up," Kagome told him. She moved her hand from over her heart to her stomach where she had been hit. "But it doesn't hurt," she said, confused.  
  
Inuyasha put a hand on top of her hand that rested on her stomach. "It's alright. Everything will be fine," he said, trying to comfort her by rubbing her back. "Miroku, Kaeda, Sango, and Kirara got back a while ago. We can go talk to them in the morning," he promised. "Try to get some rest. I won't let anything happen to you," he said, lightly squeezing her hand on her stomach.  
  
Kagome nodded as she lied back down on the makeshift bed. She smiled weakly at Inuyasha as he pulled the blanket back over her. She watched as he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead before he grabbed the blanket he had been using and placed it over her feet. Kagome rolled onto her side in her quest to go back to sleep.  
  
Inuyasha sat himself down by her head and brushed his fingers through her hair as she slowly drifted back to sleep. He kept his full attention on her until shortly before dawn, when he heard a sound at his door. He glanced down at Kagome, making sure she was safe, and then went over to the door and sniffed quickly. Inuyasha began to growl softly as he pushed aside the mat hanging over the door to reveal Sesshoumaru standing outside.  
  
"Took you long enough to notice I was here," he growled as he walked in.  
  
"Be quiet," Inuyasha growled softly in warning. "What are you doing back so soon," he asked as he sat back down at Kagome's head.  
  
"The undead miko was not so hard to find, and was hardly worth my time. I don't understand why you didn't take care of her before," Sesshoumaru said, remembering to keep his voice down, if only to keep the truce in tact by not upsetting Inuyasha.  
  
"It was complicated, okay," he retorted. "I take it that it was her soul returning that woke her earlier?" he asked. Inuyasha saw the slight nod from Sesshoumaru and looked down at Kagome as she slept. "What did you do with her ashes," he asked after a short period of silence.  
  
"I brought them with me. You can do whatever you wish with them," Sesshoumaru replied.  
  
"I see. I never thought I would say this to you, but Thank you," Inuyasha said with a half smile.  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded as he stood. "You should get some rest. Your other companions have returned, so we will begin the search for Naraku once they have awoken," he said as he walked towards the door.  
  
"Why don't you just stay in here? Rin and Shippo should be up soon," Inuyasha said as he glanced at the rising sun out the window.  
  
Sesshoumaru said nothing as he moved back over to where he had been sitting. He watched Inuyasha as he intently watch the miko as she slept. "You haven't talked to her yet, have you," he asked, breaking the stillness in the room.  
  
"No. I'll talk to her about it after Naraku is taken care of. Naraku could try to use it against me," Inuyasha replied.  
  
Before either of them could say anything more, Rin and Shippo came running out of their room, Rin stopping in her tracks when she saw Sesshoumaru sitting there.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama, you came back," Rin exclaimed happily as she ran to him and latched onto his neck.  
  
Sesshoumaru placed a hand on her head as she sat down next to him, bouncing with her excitement. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep the softness from entering his eyes as he watched the young girl.  
  
Inuyasha noticed it, but didn't say anything about it. He heard Kagome beginning to stir and looked down at her as she sat up.  
  
"Morning," she said as she scooted back so that she was sitting next to Inuyasha instead of in the middle of the semicircle he and his older brother made. "How long has the sun been up," she asked as Shippo hopped into her lap.  
  
"Not long," Inuyasha replied.  
  
Kagome nodded and looked up to see Rin sitting happily next to Sesshomaru. "See Rin, I told you he would come back," Kagome said with a smile.  
  
Rin nodded, a huge grin crossing her features. "Sesshoumaru- sama, where is Jaken-sama," she asked.  
  
"He is with Ah-Un," Sesshoumaru said.  
  
The door mat was pulled aside to reveal a shocked Miroku and Sango with Kirara sitting on Sango's shoulder. The two humans instantly moved into defensive stances when they saw Sesshoumaru sitting in the room.  
  
"What is Sesshoumaru doing here, Inuyasha," Miroku asked.  
  
"We made a truce, so just relax," Inuyasha growled. "He's going to help us defeat Naraku," he added.  
  
Sango and Miroku slowly relaxed and walked the rest of the way into the hut. "We welcome the help, Sesshomaru-sama," Miroku said with a bow before he sat beside Inuyasha. Sango nodded her agreement to Miroku's statement as she sat next to Kagome with Kirara sitting on her lap.  
  
Kagome sent Inuyasha a quick, worried look before looking back to Sango next to her.  
  
Inuyasha caught her look and decided that he should tell her what he found out from Sesshoumaru earlier. "Sesshoumaru also took care of Kikyo," he announced.  
  
Sango looked at the youkai lord in amazement. "You mean she's gone," she asked. She saw his slight nod and her jaw nearly hit the floor.  
  
"What about the portion of Kagome-sama's soul that Kikyo possessed," Miroku asked.  
  
"It returned to her last night," Inuyasha told them. He saw the relief flash over Kagome's face when she heard this.  
  
"Rin-chan, Shippo-chan, why don't you two go play outside," Kagome said. She watched as the two children pouted a bit, but they quickly brightened at the prospect of playing outside. Kagome sent a questioning look to Sango and she nodded.  
  
"Kirara, go keep an eye on them, please," she asked the feline youkai in her lap. Kirara meowed and hopped out of her lap and trotted out the door.  
  
"Are we going to take the children with us," Kagome asked.  
  
"I don't see why not. Shippo-chan always travels with us," Sango pointed out.  
  
"I do not wish for Rin to go. Is there somewhere she could stay," Sesshoumaru asked.  
  
Miroku thought for a moment. "She could stay with Kaeda- bachan," he suggested.  
  
Kagome shook her head. "No good. What if Naraku finds out that she isn't with us and is here? He could come kidnap her and then try to use her against us," she pointed out to the rest of the group. "I think she should come with us."  
  
"And where shall she stay when we face Naraku," Sesshomaru asked, clearly feeling possessive of his young ward, human or not.  
  
Kagome thought for a minute. "Her and Shippo could stay with Jaken and whoever Ah-Un is," she suggested.  
  
Sesshoumaru thought about what she said, then a barely audible sigh passed through his lips. "Fine, she will travel with us," he said. "How long before we can be ready to leave?"  
  
"Some breakfast would be nice," Miroku said, adjusting his staff causing the rings to jingle a bit.  
  
Inuyasha growled at him. "You mean you didn't eat before you came over here?"  
  
"No, Kaeda-bachan had not yet prepared the meal when we left to come over here," Miroku replied.  
  
Kagome sighed and got up to begin the meal without being asked. Sango went over to where Kagome was rebuilding the fire and put some water in one of the pots. Between the two of them, they had breakfast ready rather quickly. While Sango was dishing the food into bowls, Kagome went outside to get Shippo, Rin, and Kirara.  
  
Kagome didn't see them outside, so she went to Kaeda's hut to check if they had gone over there. She was relieved when she found them talking to the older miko, asking her all kinds of questions. She ushered them out the door with a quick greeting to Kaeda and to the hut where the others were.  
  
Everyone sat down and was served a bowl of food by Sango. Even Sesshoumaru partook of the morning meal. The group all ate quickly. When everyone was done, Miroku and Sango washed the dishes while Kagome went to Kaeda's to see if she could borrow some clothes since Inuyasha didn't want Sesshoumaru to know about the well, meaning she couldn't go home to get some clothes.  
  
She returned shortly with a few changes of clothes folded over her arm, and a bow and quiver of arrows over her shoulder. Kagome went to her bag that had been set in a corner and began to put her borrowed belongings in the bag, leaving one set out to change into. When she was done, she went into the spare room with the change of clothes. Once she had came back into the main room, everyone else was packed and outside ready to go, so she tossed her other clothes into her back and was about to toss it on her shoulder, but Inuyasha grabbed it and a bow and quiver of arrows, and put them over his shoulder.  
  
"You better bring the other bow and quiver, just in case," Inuyasha said, adjusting the bag and quiver on his shoulder. Kagome nodded and grabbed the other bow and quiver and then walked to the door where Inuyasha was waiting for her. The others were already outside waiting for them, but Inuyasha stopped her before she went outside and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
Kagome blushed prettily as she walked outside and joined in Sango and Miroku's conversation as they walked in the opposite direction of the Bone Eaters Well. Shippo hopped on her shoulder while Kirara was purring contently in Sango's arms. Rin was running around the small group, chasing a butterfly, but stopped when she was told not to wander off. Kagome took a moment to see if she could sense any shards within her range, but couldn't.  
  
Inuyasha walked out of the hut behind Kagome but was stopped by Sesshoumaru's hand on his shoulder.  
  
"You should talk to her," Sesshoumaru said. "Before Naraku is defeated," he added.  
  
Before Inuyasha could tell him to butt out of his life, Sesshoumaru let go of his shoulder and began walking in the same direction the group had gone in. Inuyasha growled as he caught up with the rest of the group. He was slightly shocked when a two headed dragon flew overhead and landed on the path in front of them. Before he could say or do anything, Sesshoumaru spoke up.  
  
"Jaken, what took you so long to catch up?"  
  
The toad youkai jumped off of the two headed dragon and bowed. "I am sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama. I was not certain of the direction in which you were heading, so it took me some time to catch up," Jaken said, his forehead still to the ground.  
  
Sesshoumaru ignored his groveling and grabbed the pack, bow, and quiver off of Inuyasha's back as he walked by and put it on Ah- Un's back, then he walked to Rin and placed her on Ah-Un's back as well. Rin was about to pout, but Sesshoumaru plucked Shippo off of Kagome's shoulder and placed him next to Rin. "Jaken, protect them with your life," he commanded as he continued down the road.  
  
"Yes, milord," Jaken said as he scrambled back into his seat on Ah-Un's back and directed the dragon down the road after Sesshoumaru.  
  
Shippo looked at Kagome from his perch on the back of the dragon, worried, but stayed put when he saw her nod at him. He and Rin played on the back of the large animal as it lumbered down the pathway where the small green youkai steered it. Every once in a while, Shippo would look back at Kagome, to make sure everything was okay.  
  
Kagome pushed Sango and Miroku forward, telling them to keep an eye on Shippo, giving them the excuse that she needed to ask Inuyasha something. She hung back a bit until Inuyasha caught up the two steps he was behind her and then she fell in step with him as he walked. "Are we sure we can trust him," she asked him in a whisper.  
  
Inuyasha took her hand in his and gave it a quick squeeze before he released her it. "We can trust him. That was something we talked about," Inuyasha assured her, speaking only loud enough for her ears. "He's just bossy," he added with a smirk, making his voice loud enough he was sure Sesshoumaru heard him. It was confirmed when Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha over his shoulder.  
  
Kagome giggled and poked him in the shoulder. "You knew he would hear you, didn't you," she accused him.  
  
He didn't reply, only smiled at her. They walked in silence for a bit while Inuyasha contemplated a few of the things Sesshoumaru had told him. Finally he came to a decision and acted upon it. "Kagome, I need to ask you something," he said, stopping and taking her hand in his once again.  
  
"Yes, what is it Inuyasha," she asked, looking him in the eye.  
  
"Will you be my mate," he asked her, holding his breath while he waited for her to answer.  
  
Kagome smiled up at the worried inu hanyou. "Yes. Of course I will," Kagome replied, a huge grin breaking out on her features.  
  
Inuyasha quickly kissed her on the lips, gazing into her eyes when he pulled away. "We should catch up with the others," he said quietly.  
  
When Kagome nodded, he turned around and crouched down for her get on his back. Once she had wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders, Inuyasha took off after the rest of the group. They caught up quickly and Kagome slipped off of his back and walked next to Inuyasha. Sango and Miroku hung back a bit so they were walking next to Inuyasha and Kagome and together the group followed after the youkai lord and the two headed dragon. 


	3. To Make a Deal You Have To

Chapter 3: To Make a Deal You Have To ...  
  
Over the next few days, the small group encountered several youkai that had small shards of the Shikon no Tama, and even a few of Naraku's puppets, but it was proving very difficult to find the evil hanyou himself. At the end of the third day, after Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had finally called a halt to their progress, due to the complaining of their human companions, Kagome and Inuyasha were finally able to find some time to themselves.  
  
Kagome and Sango had taken Rin to go take a bath in a hot spring that was nearby, which was one reason the girls had wanted to stop there. Rin had played around and splashed for quite a while, until she wore herself out and Sango got out to take Rin back to the others, leaving Kagome to relax in the spring alone for a while.  
  
Closing her eyes, she lowered herself into the water and sighed deeply. "Inuyasha, you can come out now," Kagome said with her eyes still closed. She smiled as she heard the light thump on the ground behind her that signaled his drop to the forest floor, probably off a branch of one of the surrounding trees.  
  
"Ruin all my fun," Inuyasha muttered as he dropped down to sit behind Kagome as she leaned against the side of the spring.  
  
"Oh," she asked as she spun around in the water, folding her arms on the top of the rock she had been leaning against. "Watching me bathe is fun, huh," she said as she rested her chin on her crossed arms.  
  
Inuyasha cursed the rock that was blocking his view of Kagome's chest. "Yea. I enjoy it, anyway," he replied, looking smugly at her. "You said you'd be my mate, so I should at least get to watch."  
  
Kagome thought about it for a moment. "Now that depends. Are you going to tell me what you and Sesshoumaru talked about the other day that resulted in the truce?" She smiled up at Inuyasha from where she kneeled in the spring, liking how he looked sitting in front of her without his usual scowl.  
  
His face dropped some. "It's complicated," he said avoiding looking in her eyes.  
  
"So explain it to me, Inuyasha. I don't like not knowing what's going on with you two. I know he wouldn't just come offer his help. There has to be more to it," Kagome said, her tone pleading with him to tell her.  
  
"You'll probably 'sit' me for it," Inuyasha grumbled.  
  
"Why would I do that," Kagome asked, truly confused now.  
  
"Sesshoumaru said he would help, but you're right. He wants something in return. He said if he struck the final blow, or if I got hurt during the fight with Naraku so that he had to save me, or a bunch of other stupid stuff, that he would get to take you as his mate. He said that that girl, Rin, needed a mother, and no youkai female around would care for a human child, but Rin already knows you and likes you. It would all be for his convenience," Inuyasha explained. As he thought back on that conversation now, he couldn't believe he had agreed to something so stupid.  
  
"Why did you agree to that without talking to me first. And if he wants me to go with him, he should have talked to me about it, instead of going to you," Kagome said in an amazingly calm voice.  
  
"Would you?"  
  
"Would I what?"  
  
"Would you have gone with him if he had asked you directly," Inuyasha asked. "You wouldn't just be there to care for Rin. You two would become mates, in every meaning of the word."  
  
"I wouldn't have gone with him, but something could have been worked out for me to take care of Rin anyway," Kagome replied. "So why did he talk to you instead of me?"  
  
"He kind of views us as a pack, and I'd be the alpha male, so it would be up to me to make most of the decisions for the pack. That and he kind of views you as my mate anyway, even though we haven't become mates offically. It kind of goes along with the us being a pack thing. In a pack, I'd be the alpha male, you'd be the alpha female, and it would just make sense for us to be mates. A lot of it has to do with inu youkai instincts," Inuyasha explained.  
  
"Why did you ask me to be your mate, then? After all that? If we were to mate, would he not be able to take me away," Kagome asked, worry creeping into her voice.  
  
"I asked because I want you as my mate. But it wouldn't stop him. He could just challenge me to a fight for the right to be your mate. Only this fight wouldn't end with him losing an arm or me getting a hole through my stomach. It would be to the death," he explained quietly.  
  
Kagome gasped, her hand moving over her mouth. "Why would you do that," she asked, tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
Inuyasha looked away, his bangs covering his eyes. "I agreed to his terms for the truce because I know we need the help. I know it was stupid to agree without talking to you about it first. I asked you to be my mate, regaurdless of the consequences, because I love you, and I will fight to keep you. I won't let him take you from me," he swore, looking Kagome in the eye.  
  
Kagome turned back around in the spring, wrapping her arms around her shoulders, her tears streaming down her cheeks as soon as she wasn't facing him. "I won't let you get yourself killed because of me," she said quietly, her voice amazingly steady compared to how upset she was. "Leave me alone, now," she told him, her shoulders beginning to shake with her silent sobs.  
  
She heaved a sigh when she heard the rustle of leaves and felt his aura leaving. Certain she would be left alone for a while, she let her tears freely stream down her cheeks as sobs shook her body. Kagome huddled in on herself, sinking lower in the water to absorbed the heat of the water.  
  
"I thought you were stronger than this, human," a smooth, clearly male voice said from behind Kagome.  
  
She spun around, wiping at the tear tracks on her cheeks, her eyes landing on the crisp form of Sesshoumaru. Covering her chest, Kagome sunk below the surface of the water.  
  
"What do you want, Sesshoumaru," Kagome growled at him, her anger showing clearly on her face through her other emotions.  
  
"I merely came to see my future mate," Sesshoumaru told her, his eyes never leaving her.  
  
"Why do you want me, a lowly human, as your mate? I thought you hated weaker beings," she asked, hoping to throw him for a loop.  
  
Sesshoumaru smirked. "At least you have the proper attitude." His gaze hardened with his next words. "You intrigue me, human, and for that reason alone, I have chosen to honor you with the privelege of being my mate."  
  
Kagome glared at him. "For one, I was being sarcastic. Two, what makes you think I even want to be your mate? Why should I go with you, even if that's what your deal with Inuyasha says I have to do? You want me, you come talk to me. Don't try going over my head, by going to Inuyasha. He doesn't control me. I control my life, no one else," she yelled at the western lord. "And another thing, if I intrigue so much, then why haven't you bothered to learn my name?"  
  
Sesshoumaru met her glare, his blood stirring, heating at her angry words directed towards him. "I know your name, human," he emphasized the word, knowing it would irratate her further. "I just choose not to address you as such," he told her.  
  
"You don't even care if I would be unhappy with you, do you," she asked, her voice growing soft with her sadness.  
  
"Not particularly," he agreed. He saw she was about to yell at him again, and decided to stop her. "I do know that your experience with me would not be all bad, though."  
  
Kagome snorted. "What makes you so sure that things will work out that, according to your deal with Inuyasha, I'll have to go with you?"  
  
Sesshoumaru shrugged. "The hanyou is incompetent. I will undoubtably end up doing most of the work. I have even killed the majority of the youkai we have come across since we began this journey."  
  
"That doesn't mean anything. Now, I would appreciate it if you would leave me alone," Kagome growled, not wanting to look at him just then.  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded, turning to leave her to her thoughts, giving her one last thing to think about before he left. "I'm not as bad as Inuyasha always makes me out to be." With that, he left her alone in the spring.  
  
By the time Kagome had returned from the spring, everyone else had successfully set up camp and dinner was cooking over a fire in the middle of camp. She silently plopped down beside her bag and folded the towel she had thankfully left behind one time while almost everyone else watched her with worried eyes.  
  
The past few days, the young preistess had been overly happy, and now she returned from a bath, something that brightened her mood itself, looking even more sullen than she ever had when she caught Inuyasha with Kikyo in the past. Yet, there was now a deeper fire, not one of anger, but of determination, burning in her eyes. None of the travelers knew what had caused her sudden mood shift, and none dared to speak, fearing her wrath.  
  
After a moment of silence, Kagome was wrapped in a hug by two sets of small arms from behind. She turned her head slightly, glancing over her shoulder, and saw Shippo and Rin with their arms wrapped around her tightly. A small smile graced her lips as she turned to return the embrace, the two children being just what Kagome had needed to take her mind off her problems for the time being.  
  
"So, what's for dinner," Kagome asked once she had been released from the hug. She glanced at Sango, a bright smile lighting up her features once more, the slight rumble of her stomach protesting it's hunger bringing a smile to her friends' faces, as well.  
  
The next few days passed in a blur, filled with more youkai, jewel shards, and fights than they had encountered in the week they had been travelling together. At seemingly odd times, Sesshoumaru would send Jaken off on Ah-Un, not telling the others why, or even where the toad youkai was going. Then, while he was gone, the group would be attacked by some youkai with a jewel shard, leaving Kagome to try and fend off the youkai, which would usually come after the other shards she held, while protecting the children.  
  
The group had finally gotten a break on the eighth day and were sitting down to a quick lunch, discussing where they thought Naraku might be hiding, when Sesshoumaru suddenly stood up and walked off without saying a word. Rin got up to follow after him, but Kagome quickly stopped the young girl, telling her the youkai lord would be back shortly.  
  
As Kagome said, Sesshoumaru returned a few minutes later, a hagard looking Jaken following close behind. Both youkai sat down around the small fire they had going to cook lunch over. Rin went over to sit with them, taking a bit of the stew the group was having for lunch over to the tired looking Jaken.  
  
The group remained silent while Jaken ate, Shippo and Rin beginning to doze by their respective parental figures in the early afternoon sun, while Inuyasha shot distrustful looks at his older half-brother. A while later, after the children had fallen asleep, and long after Jaken had had his second bowl of stew, Inuyasha got fed up with waiting for Sesshoumaru to decide to grace them with knowledge he might have gained from the toad. He was about to growl, demanding Sesshoumaru tell them what he knew right when the older youkai spoke up.  
  
"Jaken, through his travels, has obtained several leads as to the whereabouts of Naraku. Since this mindless wandering about has proved fruitless, we will travel in the direction my servant has discovered Naraku to most likely be in," Sesshoumaru said as he began to stand.  
  
Inuyasha growled. "And what direction is that," he asked, splitting his glare between lord and servant.  
  
Sesshoumaru nearly sighed, his patience with the hanyou being severely tested. Sitting back down, he, too, glared at his sibling. "There are many rumors of activity similar to that of when Naraku was present before. All of them originate on the coast west of where we are now. If we are to cover any ground before nightfall, I suggest we leave this place soon."  
  
"Why can't we just camp here for tonight, get rested up, and start out nice and early in morning," Kagome asked, drawing both brothers' attention to her. Fidgeting a bit, now that she had the full attention of both inu brothers, she continued a bit nervously. "Well, Rin and Shippo are already asleep, and all this travelling has got to have been hard on them. And I'm sure we all need some rest after all the running Sesshoumaru's had us doing lately," she said, not looking either in the eye. "I'm sure Naraku will still be there wrecking havoc when we get there," she added.  
  
Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha glanced around at the rest of the group, then at each other, nodding once at each other.  
  
"Fine, we'll stay here for the night, then leave at dawn," Inuyasha grumbled. "I want everyone rested up for when we leave, so get lots of sleep. I'm going off to find something for dinner," he added before jumping off into the trees.  
  
Kagome sighed before she stood up, grabbing her bow and arrows. "I'll go gather some fire wood," she said as she began to wander off into the woods.  
  
"Not alone."  
  
She turned back to glare at the youkai lord that had spoken up. "What? Are you going to stop me," she questioned before turning back to the woods and continuing on her way.  
  
Sesshoumaru growled as he stood up. "No. I'm going to go with you," he stated as he caught up with her and gripped her elbow before leading her into the woods.  
  
Kagome growled at him, at least as good as she could with her human vocal cords, trying to twist her elbow out of his grasp as soon as they had passed through the tree line. Once they were out of the groups hearing range, she was able to pull herself free, stumbling a few steps as she jerked free, though she knew it was because he had let her go rather than her own strength gaining her her freedom.  
  
Stopping and turning around to glare at the youkai lord standing behind her. "What is your problem," Kagome yelled at Sesshoumaru, her hands on her hips. "You've practically been hovering over me everywhere I go. You growl whenever Inuyasha and I go off to talk. You've just been acting like a little kid, and I want it to stop."  
  
"This Sesshoumaru knows not of what you speak. And my conduct is of no concern to you," he replied, his voice hard as he watched the anger flaring in her eyes.  
  
Kagome glared at him. "I swear, if you don't tell me what your problem is, I will purify you so quick, you won't know what hit you!"  
  
Sesshoumaru moved quickly, grasping Kagome by her throat, and had her pinned to the nearest tree faster than she could follow. A menacing growl was spilling forth from his lips, but if you looked in his eyes, you could tell that he wasn't really angry.  
  
"You were saying," he asked, the corner of his lips tugging up in a small smirk. "Now, you really want to know what my problem is. You have been fighting me on everything I say, including that you will be my mate once Naraku is all taken care of. You insist on being disrespectful to me at every chance you get," Sesshoumaru growled at her, his grip on her neck not tight enough to cut off her air supply as he talked to her. As he finished speaking, he dropped her to the forest floor and turned, heading back to the campsite, leaving Kagome there to try to soothe her abused tailbone. 


	4. Just Arguing

Disclaimer: I hold no rights to Inuyasha in any way. I merely own characters that I create for the progression of the storyline. Which there aren't any original characters in this fic, so I own no characters in this fic.  
  
A/N: Some feedback would be appreciated.  
  
Chapter 4: Just Arguing  
  
A few minutes later, Kagome picked herself up off of the ground, her eyes still warily watching the direction Sesshoumaru had gone. Looking around at the area surrounding her, she noticed there was enough wood on the ground to cook over that night and in the morning. She gathered up as much as she could carry, deciding to let the others know where they could get more wood if they needed it later.  
  
By the time she made it back to the clearing where they had set up camp in, the sun was already starting to drop behind the tree tops. Walking into the campsite, she noticed Sesshoumaru wasn't there. Shrugging it off, she walked over and dropped the wood by the area Miroku and Sango had cleared for a fire and began building a fire. She had long since stopped carrying around her portable stove from her time, deciding it and its fuel took up too much space in her bag, so she had gotten used to cooking over an open fire.  
  
Kagome was about to light the wood on fire when she felt someone walk up behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Sesshoumaru with an arm full of wood. Turning her attention back to the fire pit, she resumed trying to light the fire.  
  
"I would have thought manual labor was beneath you as a lord," Kagome growled quietly at Sesshoumaru as he placed the wood on top of the extra wood Kagome didn't use to start the fire. She glanced over at an unconscious Miroku, probably from Sango hitting him for groping her, and then looked at Sango, who was busy playing with Rin and Shippo, who had woken up from their nap, while Kirara rested nearby. At least she wouldn't have to worry about any of her friends overhearing anything she said to Sesshoumaru. She wasn't quite ready for them to know about the deal Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had made.  
  
"I do not normally lower myself to do such menial tasks, but I knew you would be more upset if I returned with nothing," Sesshoumaru explained.  
  
"Honestly, I didn't expect you to bring anything back. I don't expect anything from you," Kagome hissed as the fire flared to life.  
  
"Why do you think so poorly of me," Sesshoumaru asked, gripping her chin and making Kagome look at him.  
  
"You have given me no reason to think otherwise," Kagome said, pulling her chin from his grip and returning her attention to tending to the fire.  
  
"And you have yet to give me a chance to give you a reason," he growled in her ear.  
  
"Oh? And pinning me to a tree by the throat was your way of trying to make me think you are anything other than a rude, insensitive, uncaring, cold jerk," she said, standing up and turning to face him.  
  
Glancing over at the remaining members of the group in the clearing, Sesshoumaru stood up as well and grabbed Kagome by her elbow and started walking towards the surrounding forest. Once he found a clearing a satisfactory distance from the camp, Sesshoumaru stopped, released her arm, and turned to face the miko once again. "If that is what you think of me, then you're obviously not as intelligent as I had thought," he growled at her.  
  
"Why should I think any differently? You have done nothing to improve my opinion of you, as I stated before," she replied, not backing down.  
  
"If I am so cold and uncaring, why have I taken a young human child into my home and provided better care for her than her own village had? Why did I raise her from the dead after she had been killed by wolves? Why have I raised Jaken after he has been cut down repeatedly? Why did I rescue Jaken from death so many years ago in the first place? There is more to me than you know, but all you care about is what my foolish half-brother has told you about me," Sesshoumaru told her. 'Why am I revealing so much to her? Why do I want her to think better of me? She is merely human. It matters not what she thinks of me. She will be mine regardless of how she feels,' he thought.  
  
He was letting this human woman aggravate him more than even the half-breed did. And that alone irritated him. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, his sensitive nose picked up her own anger filled scent, but what confused him was the anxiety that was laced in with it. Certainly she wouldn't be that concerned about what he would do with her once she was his mate.  
  
"So you've done a few nice things. Big deal. You've tried to kill Inuyasha and our friends more times than I would like to count. You've even teamed up with Naraku in the past. And you treat me more like I'm some prize than an actual person. A really junky prize that the only reason you want it is so your brother won't," Kagome practically yelled at him, only keeping her voice down so as to not attract unwanted attention.  
  
"You truly are foolish. If I wanted the hanyou dead, he would have perished long ago. I merely fight with him so he will grow stronger and survive. He has been weak enough in the past that he was sealed to a tree for fifty years, during a time that he could have proved useful. And though I dislike the job of training him, I do it so he will survive. That I assured my father I would do before he died," Sesshoumaru told her, his eyes glowing in the fading sunlight.  
  
'Or maybe that's anger,' thought Kagome as she stared at him.  
  
"Hanyou or not, he still carries the blood of our father, even if it is diluted and tarnished by human blood, and him dying by any hand other than mine would be dishonorable." Sesshoumaru watched the miko's reaction to his words, knowing she would think them harsh before he ever spoke them. Still, she needed to understand that even if Inuyasha was a mark upon the family bloodline, him being killed by anyone else would be an even greater dishonor.  
  
"As for my treatment of you," he continued, "I have given you as much respect as you deserve. This Sesshoumaru has not hurt you, nor have I put you in any danger. In fact, I have stopped several youkai from attacking you when the hanyou had been tossed aside in fights."  
  
Kagome, losing a bit of her anger in light of his words, that oddly made sense, sighed and leaned against a nearby tree. "Why do you even want me as your mate? I'd say you hate humans, but then I wouldn't know how to explain you taking care of Rin. But all of your actions and even your words now make me still think that you, at the very least, greatly dislike humans. So why me," she asked, her eyes intently watching him for any reaction.  
  
"I told you before; you intrigue me. You are a human female, most of which are extremely weak and cowardly. You, on the other hand, have a great deal of unrealized power waiting to be used at any time you are in danger, which is often since you seem to attract trouble," Sesshoumaru told her.  
  
"If you were so curious about me, then you should have just talked to me, instead of making it so you get to screw my brains out for the rest of my life without even talking to me about it," Kagome said, biting sarcasm dripping from her voice at the end as she crossed her arms over her chest and turning away from him.  
  
"There is one other reason I want you as my mate," Sesshoumaru said as he moved up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Really? And what is that," Kagome growled, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. She turned around to glare at Sesshoumaru, waiting for his answer.  
  
"You are unlike any other human, and I find myself attracted to you. Even caring about you," Sesshoumaru said, his voice softening as he raise a hand to cup her cheek.  
  
Kagome took a step back, removing herself from Sesshoumaru's reach. "Why should I believe that?" While she outwardly glared at the youkai lord, Kagome was having an internal battle. 'I don't want to believe that. I can't believe him. If I believe what he says, I don't know what I'll do. But Inuyasha is finally showing how he feels about me. I don't know what to do, but I can't hurt Inuyasha.'  
  
"I have no reason to lie," Sesshoumaru told her, his golden eyes seemingly warming in the waning sunlight.  
  
Kagome didn't like the way Sesshoumaru was looking at her. Normally, she saw contempt in his eyes, but now, she didn't want to acknowledge what she knew she saw in his eyes: the truth. Shaking her head, Kagome backed up a few more steps until her progress was halted when she bumped into another tree.  
  
Sesshoumaru followed her backward movement until he was less than an arms length away from her, and planted both hands against the tree on either side of her head and leaned forward a bit. Bringing his eyes level with hers, he watched the fear creep into her eyes, the disgusting smell of it tainting her normally refreshing scent.  
  
"Do you fear me, or the truth," Sesshoumaru growled before he pushed away from the tree and Kagome.  
  
A few moments later, Inuyasha entered the clearing where they stood, a few dead rabbits in his hand, along with some wild vegetables to make a stew with. Glancing between the stoic Sesshoumaru and the perturbed looking Kagome, Inuyasha wondered what had happened to make Kagome look so upset.  
  
"What are you two doing," Inuyasha asked, looking to Kagome for an answer.  
  
Kagome shot a glare at Sesshoumaru, then turned and smiled at Inuyasha. "Nothing. Just arguing," she replied, walking over to him. "Would you give me a lift back to the camp," she asked as she reached him.  
  
"Yea, hop on," Inuyasha said, turning and crouching down for her to get on.  
  
"Thanks," she whispered in his ear as she climbed on his back and hugged him around shoulders, resting her head in the bend of his neck.  
  
Inuyasha glared at his sibling before taking off back towards the clearing that contained their campsite, leaving Sesshoumaru standing alone in the clearing.  
  
"He didn't hurt you, did he," Inuyasha asked, growling his anger at the idea of anyone hurting her.  
  
"No, I'm fine. Just a little upset. Thank you for worrying, though," Kagome said, letting her nose nuzzle against his neck a bit.  
  
"If he ever hurts you, just let me know, and I'll take care of him," Inuyasha growled as he slowed his pace, giving them a bit more time to talk before they got back to the camp. "I'm sorry I ever made that deal with him," he said as he walked along. He suddenly stopped when he felt her legs loosen around his waist and felt her weight completely leave his back. Inuyasha stopped and turned to look at Kagome, suddenly worried.  
  
"What's the matter, Kagome? And don't tell me it's nothing," Inuyasha told her, dropping the vegetables to grip her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. He was suddenly very concerned when he saw tears shimmering in her eyes, and almost feared her answer.  
  
"Inuyasha, if it ends up that I do have to go with Sesshoumaru after this is all over, please, promise me you won't fight him," Kagome said, her voice cracking with emotion, tears beginning to fall from her eyes.  
  
"You want to go with him," Inuyasha asked, pain entering his voice and features, as his hand dropped from her chin.  
  
"NO," Kagome nearly screamed, shaking her head as more tears streamed down her cheeks. "I don't want Sesshoumaru to hurt you. Or kill you. I wouldn't be able to stand it knowing you were killed in a fight over me."  
  
Inuyasha sighed and shook his head, dropping everything he had in his hands, and gathered Kagome up in his arms, letting her cry against his chest. "Since when has the possibility of me dying ever stopped me from trying to protect you," Inuyasha asked, his mood lightening a bit at knowing it was only her desire to protect him that had prompted the request. "Besides, I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around."  
  
Kagome only sniffled and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him as tightly as she could. She didn't know what she would do if she had to go with Sesshoumaru, but whatever happened, she knew she wanted to keep Inuyasha from any kind of harm. But the more she thought about it, the less hopeful things became. If she went with Sesshoumaru, and Inuyasha challenged the youkai lord to a fight for her, Inuyasha would either be greatly injured and end up dying from his wounds or Sesshoumaru would kill him outright. If she went with Sesshoumaru, and Inuyasha did as she asked, he would be emotionally hurt. No matter what, if she had to leave with Sesshoumaru, she would end up hurting Inuyasha.  
  
She wasn't even sure if there was anything she could do to prevent herself having to become Sesshoumaru's mate. She didn't know She didn't know all of the terms to the truce, and could have to become Sesshoumaru's mate for any number of reasons. Upset by the thought, Kagome hugged him tighter, snuggling into Inuyasha's oversized shirt.  
  
They stayed that way for a while until Kagome had calmed down, and her tears had stopped. She slowly stepped back from Inuyasha enough to look him in the face, before she looked back down embarrassed.  
  
Grinning sheepishly, she looked up once more, catching Inuyasha's eye. "I'm sorry," she said quietly before she released herself from his grasp completely and started walking back towards their camp, leaving a bewildered Inuyasha behind.  
  
Sesshoumaru watched the interaction between the miko and hanyou with disgust. What he had spoke to the miko earlier had been the truth. He found himself strangely attracted to her, not just for her power as the wolf prince was, but for her heart. It was so giving, so loyal, so ... loving. She gave her friendship, forgiveness, and even love to those that, in his mind, deserved it the least. Mainly his idiotic halfling brother.  
  
He watched as the miko walked away, tempted to follow after her, shadowing her from the treetops, but his pride kept him from following her around like some lost puppy. Instead, he stayed and watched as the hanyou gathered up his previously dropped prey and prepared to head back to the camp. Pausing after a few steps, he didn't even look back, but Sesshoumaru knew his presence had been detected.  
  
"I know you heard her. She doesn't want to go with you." And with that, Inuyasha walked away, leaving Sesshoumaru alone with his thoughts.  
  
'I know she doesn't want to go with me, but I'm not sure I could go without her.' The sudden thought threw him for a loop, but after a minutes contemplation, he realized it was true. Growling in disgust at his own weakness, he leapt from the tree he had been sitting in, landing silently on the ground.  
  
A realization came upon him as he walked back towards the camp. If he wanted to miko to come with him willingly, he would have to treat her more kindly, showing her a side of him that no one had seen of him since he was a pup, before his father had started training him to take over as the next Lord of the Western Lands.  
  
Sighing in frustration, he formulated a plan as he walked into the camp and sat down on the roots of an old tree. When Rin ran over to him to say hello, he patted her on the head and told her she could go play with the kitsune until dinner was done, his mind still working on how to gain the miko's affections.  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't look too happy," Rin said to Shippo once she rejoined him where they had been playing.  
  
Glancing at the youkai lord, Shippo blinked and looked back at Rin. "How can you tell?"  
  
Rin giggled and shook her head. "Kagome-chan doesn't look too happy either," Rin observed. At Shippo's nod of agreement, Rin smiled toothily. "I've got a plan to cheer Sesshoumaru-sama up. Wanna help?"  
  
"Sure," Shippo chirped.  
  
Together, the two children moved away from the group of adults so they could plan and scheme in private, making sure to remain within sight of help if trouble should happen upon them. 


	5. For Fun

A/N: Well, I'm sure people thought that I had disappeared, evident by the fact that I haven't been updating. But here I am, with a brand new chapter. Hope everyone enjoys.

**Chapter 5: For Fun**

Days passed.

Kagome avoided Sesshoumaru like he had the plague.

Sesshoumaru watched Kagome intently.

Inuyasha stayed by Kagome's side whenever he could, and glared at Sesshoumaru more than usual.

And the rest of the group watched their interaction, or lack thereof in Kagome and Sesshoumaru's case, with a sort of morbid fascination. They didn't know what was going on. And with the way Sesshoumaru was acting, they weren't sure they wanted to know.

Kagome sighed in frustration as she looked around the group of travelers that surrounded her. She desperately needed a bath, and she was lucky enough that there was a hot spring nearby. But she didn't know where Sesshoumaru was. He took off as soon as they decided they would be stopping for the night, without a word about where he was going.

Deciding to take the chance, she really was grungy, she gathered her bathing supplies and told her friends where she was going. Kagome nodded when Inuyasha told her exactly how far away the hot spring was and in what direction, and then headed that way. She nearly broke out into a run in her eagerness to reach the hot spring.

Once she reached the hot spring, Kagome was delighted to see that the spring was rather large with a small waterfall running into it. She set her things on a rock at the waters edge and quickly undressed, setting her clothes on another rock.

With a happy sigh, Kagome sunk into the warm water. She grabbed her supplies and made her way over to the small waterfall, and quickly washed off. After she was sufficiently clean, she headed back over to the edge where she had left her things, but what she saw there didn't please her at all. Crossing her arms over her chest and sinking further below the surface of the water, Kagome glared at the being sitting on the bank of the spring.

"What do you want, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked, rather annoyed that he interrupted her so far pleasant bath.

"Why are you out here, alone and unprotected?" Sesshoumaru countered with his own question. "It's not safe."

"I can take care of myself," Kagome growled at him. "Now, if you don't mind, and even if you do, I'd like to take the rest of my bath in peace," she told him, hoping he'd get the point and leave her alone.

"You are clean. What would be the purpose of staying further?" Sesshoumaru asked, intrigued by the curious desire.

"So I can relax," Kagome replied. "Now, leave, please."

"I cannot do that. It's not safe out here," Sesshoumaru replied, watching her intently. He was fascinated by the way she hid herself beneath the clear water, as if thinking it would afford her some protection.

"I can take care of myself," Kagome repeated.

"While naked and unarmed?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

Kagome felt her anger rising, but she tried to restrain it. "Whatever. Just leave me alone," she told the youkai lord, turning and moving away from him. Kagome stopped moving when she came face to chest, a very naked chest, and she stepped back.

"I cannot do that," Sesshoumaru told her, now standing naked in the spring with her.

"And you think you can protect me. You're naked and unarmed now, too," Kagome screeched, turning her back so she wouldn't see anything she didn't want to see.

Sesshoumaru stepped up behind her and draped an arm over her shoulder, holding his hand up in front of her face. "I am not as unarmed as I appear," he reminded her, showing his claws off a bit.

Kagome stiffened at the position Sesshoumaru had put her in. He wasn't actually touching her, only his arm on her shoulder, but he was still too close for her comfort. Shrugging her shoulder, she slid to the side, slipping out from under his arm. "Hentai," she muttered as she turned to glare at the youkai.

"You believe that I will behave as the monk does? If that is the case, why have you not tried to strike me yet?" Sesshoumaru asked, cocking a dark brow at her. "I have no desire to act in such a manner. I will take you as my mate after Naraku has been destroyed."

"Only if the terms of the agreement you made with Inuyasha allow you to," Kagome pointed out, reminding Sesshoumaru that she wasn't guaranteed to be his mate yet. "Why couldn't you have just come talk to me? It would have been so much less complicated," she said, running a hand through her hair.

"Because Inuyasha never would have allowed you to come with me unless it was something he had agreed to before hand," Sesshoumaru stated simply. "Even if it had been your choice to become my mate, Inuyasha would have fought me. It is in his nature."

"And he still will," Kagome said, holding her head in her hands. She peeked through her fingers, keeping an eye on Sesshoumaru, and took a step back when he took a step towards her. Stepping onto a slick stone under the water, Kagome lost her balance and fell backwards, her arms flailing at her sides, trying to regain her balance.

Before her head even hit the water, Kagome felt two strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her against a solid body. She didn't look up at him, just buried her face in his chest in embarrassment. Here she had been trying to get away from him because she was afraid of his words, and in her hurry, she made a complete fool of herself.

"Why would you want a clumsy fool like me?" she muttered against his slick skin, the fact that they were both naked not lost on her frazzled mind.

A small smile flitted across Sesshoumaru's face at her question. "I will make a deal with you," he told her. "You let me decide what I want and who I want it from, and I will let you decide if you want to come with me after Naraku has been destroyed, but only if you actually give me a chance. No trying to avoid me. And forget most of what Inuyasha has told you about me."

Kagome nodded, relieved that Sesshoumaru was actually giving her a choice now. "You have a deal," she told him. Pulling back a little, she looked up at him. "I'm going to go back to the camp now," she told him, pushing back on his chest slightly.

Sesshoumaru nodded, his eyes intently watching her. He lowered his head slightly and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before he released her from his arms.

"You said you wouldn't do anything," Kagome accused.

"No, I said I would not act like the monk. Meaning I would not grope you or say anything inappropriate," Sesshoumaru told her, moving to exit the spring.

Kagome squeaked and turned around as fast as she could when Sesshoumaru's butt came into view above the water. She waited for several minutes to give him time to get dressed before she turned around and made her way to the edge of the spring. Glaring up at the youkai still watching her from the shore, she stopped before she revealed more than she wanted to.

"If you insist on staying, you have to turn around," Kagome told him, raising her hand and moving her finger in a circular motion.

Sesshoumaru did as she asked and shook his head. It wasn't like he couldn't hear every single thing she did.

Kagome made sure Sesshoumaru was completely turned around before she got out of the spring and quickly dried off and dressed, keeping an eye on him the entire time. She gathered all her bathing supplies along with her dirty clothes and started walking towards the campsite, Sesshoumaru walking right by her side.

The first thing Kagome saw when she got back to the campsite was Shippo and Rin flinging opened condoms back and forth, while Miroku was holding one, looking at it quite curiously. She gaped at the scene before her. Miroku had a condom and the look in his eye told her he wasn't curious about where it went on the human anatomy, but more likely why she had them. But first things first. She needed to scold Shippo and Rin for getting into her bag without her permission.

"Shippo, who told you that you could get into my bag?" Kagome asked, a none to happy look on her face.

"I told the runt you wouldn't like him going through your stuff, but he wouldn't listen to me," Inuyasha said from a low branch on a tree.

"Then why didn't you stop him?" Kagome demanded, glaring at the hanyou.

"Because the runt doesn't listen to me. In fact, he does just the opposite of what I tell him, and you yell at me when I hit him," Inuyasha defended.

Shippo and Rin both dropped all condoms they had in their hands with extremely guilty looks on their faces. Together, they looked down at the ground, drawing shapes in the dirt with their toes with their hands behind their backs.

"I'm sorry, Kagome," Shippo murmured, peaking up at Kagome through his bangs.

"Rin, apologize to Kagome," Sesshoumaru said monotonously.

"M'sorry, Kagome-chan," the small brunette murmured.

"Apologies accepted. Now don't do it again," Kagome scolded. Turning to the monk, she hesitated for a moment before walking over to him and holding out her hand. "Hand it over," she demanded.

"May I ask, Kagome-sama, what these are used for in your time?" Miroku asked as he handed the object over.

Kagome blushed, turning around quickly. "It's just a toy. Something people use to have fun with," she said quietly, not looking anyone in the eye.

"Such an odd shape, though," Miroku commented, picking another up from the ground and unrolling it completely. Holding it up by the open end with his thumb and forefinger, he examined it until Kagome snagged the object from his grip. He raised his eyes to her face, eyes searching hers for an answer. "Kagome-sama?"

"Just forget it, Miroku-sama," Kagome growled, going about the campsite, picking up the rest of the condoms and throwing them into the fire. After Kagome was satisfied that she had gathered up all the stray condoms, she put her belongings back in her bag and sat down next to the fire, feeling the eyes of the rest of the group on her. "What?" Kagome snapped looking up at everyone else.

"Is everything alright, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, moving to sit next to her, looking rather concerned about the miko from the future.

"I'm fine, Sango-chan. Thank you for asking," Kagome replied. "I'm just tired. I think I'm going to go to sleep after dinner," she told them, her eyes being drawn to the simmering pot hanging over the fire.

"The food is ready, so we can eat now, if you'd like," Sango told Kagome while moving away toward the fire. "Then you can get some sleep," she added.

Kagome sighed and it looked like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you, Sango-chan. That would be lovely," she said as she got her sleeping bag out of her overstuffed bag and laid it out on the ground, then sat down on top of it, smiling when Sango handed her a bowl of stew.

Following Kagome's example, Rin and Shippo sat on either side of her and waited paitently for Sango to hand them their dinner. Inuyasha grunted when Sango handed him a bowl, but sat down and began to eat, just the same. Miroku absently took the bowl offered to him, his mind preoccupied with finding out what had bothered Kagome so much about him having one of those toys she allowed the children to play with. Sesshoumaru merely shook his head, and moved to sit across the fire from Kagome, watching her over the flames. When everyone that was going to eat was served, Sango sat down with her own bowl of stew.

Miroku noticed Kagome finish eating and sat aside his partially finished dinner. "Kagome-sama, might I have a few words with you before you retire for the night," he requested, standing and motioning with his hand in the direction of the forest, "in private?"

Kagome sighed, but nodded. "But if you pull anything, Miroku-sama, I swear you won't be able to walk properly for a week," she warned the monk.

Miroku put on his best hurt expression and held a hand to his chest. "Kagome-sama, your words wound me. It troubles me greatly that you would think that I, a humble monk of budha, would do anythink inappropriate," he said, his lips twitching upward when Kagome smiled.

Kagome stood from her sleeping bag and followed Miroku into the forest, shaking her head at the inu brothers when she saw them tense, readying to stand and follow them. When they reached a small clearing that she knew was most definately out of their youkai hearing range unless she were to yell, she stopped. "Alright, Miroku-sama, what do you want that couldn't wait unil morning?" she asked, looking him in the eye.

Miroku smiled gently at her. "I merely wished to know the true use for these 'toys'," Miroku stated, pulling a condom from his robes.

Kagome gaped at the monk. "How did you ..." she started, trailing off.

"I picked it up when you were busy picking up some of the others," he informed her. When she reached for it, he moved it out of her range. "What is it about these simple children toys do you not want me to know?" he asked, moving about the clearing, always keeping out of her reach.

Kagome blushed. "I never said they were for children," she muttered. "You aren't going to give it back until you know, are you?" she asked, stopping in the middle of the small clearing they stood in.

"That is a correct assumption, Kagome-sama," he told her with a small smile sneaking onto his lips.

"I think you're getting entirely too much enjoyment out of this," she grumbled, sitting down on a flat rock protruding from the ground. Her cheeks burned from blushing, and she covered her face with her hands. "A couple uses them when they're having ... intercourse," she mumbled. She peeked through her fingers at the monk and saw his eyebrow disappear under his bangs. "So the woman won't get pregnant," she added quickly.

"If the woman can't get pregnant, then what is the point in their joining?" Miroku asked.

Kagome's blush turned an even deeper red. "I told you already. For fun."

Miroku looked at the miko in a whole new light. "You must have wanted to have a lot of fun with the number of these that you brought with you," he said, a lecherous grin appearing on his features.

"It's not like that," Kagome growled at him. "One of my friends from the other side of the well has this brother, and he stuck the bag of condoms in her bag before she left for school the morning before I came back, and we were talking in a hall at school, and this teacher was coming along and we had to put them somewhere or we all could have gotten into a lot of trouble, so they got stuffed in my bag, and when I came home from school, Inuyasha was there waiting for me, and he wouldn't let me switch bags," she said all in one rush. "It's just a good thing I keep an extra bag on this side of the well with things I need for travelling. And I would have just left my school bag at the village, but I would have been too embarrassed if someone had found them in the village. I mean, what if the village got attacked while we were gone and then in my time, someone finds fossilized condoms. And then, before I could decide what to do with them, Shippo found them, and I had to tell him something." Kagome would have continued rambling if Miroku hadn't stopped her.

"I understand, Kagome-sama. Your secret is safe with me," he told her, bringing his hand to his mouth. "It will be too much fun watching you explain it to Inuyasha on your own," Miroku said, fighting to keep the chuckle out of his voice.

"If you laugh at me, I swear I'll tell Sango what these are really used for, and get her to agree to sleep with you, but them make you use these," Kagome growled at the snickering monk.

Miroku's grin widened under his hand. "I'm always up for some fun," he joked as he turned and headed back towards the camp.

Kagome groaned as she watched Miroku disappear into the trees. She would never understand how someone supposedly dedicated to Buddha could act so perverted all the time. Deciding to stay there and think for a while longer, Kagome pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her arms crossed over them.

A few minutes later, Inuyasha landed in front of Kagome, startling her out of her thoughts. "Why didn't you come back?" he growled.

"I wanted to think for a while. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"When Miroku came back alone, I got worried," he told her. "I thought you were going to come back with the monk," he added.

"It's not like I was that far away from the campsite," Kagome told Inuyasha. "If I had needed something, I would have yelled."

"I thought you were tired and wanted to go to sleep," Inuyasha said, reminding Kagome of her own words. "Besides, it's not safe to be out here alone at this time of night," he told her, sitting next to Kagome where she sat on the rock and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Kagome sighed and leaned against Inuyasha's shoulder. "I know that. I also knew that you wouldn't let me stay out here for very long by myself, so i figured it was safe. Besides, what youkai in their right mind would come this close to where you and Sesshoumaru are at the same time. Except for maybe Naraku, and we haven't seen him in a while," she told him, thinking out loud a bit.

"That's not very reassuring," Inuyasha muttered. "Come on. Let's get back to camp," he said, standing up from the rock.

"Yes. I can't believe how tired I am," Kagome said as she stood up and walked next to Inuyasha back to camp.

"You've been under a lot of stress lately. Completely understandable," Inuyasha said as he tentatively took her hand in his.

Kagome yawned as they reached the treeline surrounding the camp. "Thank you, Inuyasha," she said as she reached up on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek before going to her sleeping bag and crawled in. Shippo and Rin stopped playing with Kirara and snuggled into Kagome's large sleeping bag, and all three of them were soon fast asleep.

"So what are you going to do, little brother?" Sesshoumaru asked as he stood next to his half brother.

"Why are you so damn interested in what I'm doing with Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded. "I can't imagine you possibly caring. Besides, I thought you were here to take her away from me," he growled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I would like to take her for my own mate, but if that does not happen, I want her to be happy," Sesshoumaru said, watching Kagome sleep.

"Why would you care about her happiness?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Even this Sesshoumaru does not know the answer to that question," Sesshoumaru said before jumping up into a tree to keep watch for the night.


	6. Midnight Talks

A/N: Alright, so I lied.This one isn't on hold anymore. I'll be finishing soon, actually.Only a few more chapters to go until the end. And then you'll all know which of my other stories this one is a prequel to. If you've been paying attention to my other fics. And yes, I know it's been forever between updates, and no, yelling at me to update really won't help. But I will update as soon as possible. Now that I have a clear idea where I'm going with this, I'll work on finishing this fic. Hope you all enjoy and happy reading.

**Chapter 6: Midnight Talks**

Sango and Miroku cleaned their weapons in a calm silence, a routine they had fallen into after the long time spent travelling together. They finished at the same time, put their supplies away in small satchels Kagome had given them as gifts, and spread out their bedding. Laying down, Sango tried to put some distance between them, but it didn't quite work. The familiar sound of palm hitting cheek rang out in the camp site as Sango encouraged Kirara to sleep between the two.

Inuyasha had jumped into a tree opposite of the one Sesshoumaru was perched in, and had fallen asleep, secure in the knowledge that his elder brother would not let anything happen to Kagome, and subsequently, the rest of the group. Mainly because anything that attacked them was usually after the jewel shards that the young miko kept on her at all times.

Kagome laid in her sleeping bag, waiting for everyone else to fall asleep, remembering to stay calm, and to keep her breathing nice and even while her mind mulled over the short conversation she had heard between the brothers. They had stood practically at the foot of her sleeping bag, and although they had whispered, she had still heard them just fine.

Before she could really think about what had been said, Sesshoumaru was at her side.

"Why are you awake? You should be resting," he whispered.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied, getting lost in his golden eyes. She hadn't even heard him jump from the tree, but she hadn't been that surprised to see him next to her sleeping bag.

"Would you like to take a walk with me? Perhaps the night air and a bit of exercise would make you tired," he suggested.

Kagome thought about the offer for a minute, wondering if it would really be a good idea to go off with the youkai lord alone. Not because she feared he would do her harm, but because she feared her own budding attraction to him. She watched him extend his hand to her in an invatation, and without really thinking about it, placed her much smaller hand in his and watched his slender fingers wrap around hers.

Sesshoumaru helped her out of her bag without waking the children, and helped her to her feet, but even then, he didn't relinquish his hold on her hand. Instead, he used it as a means to guide her away from the camp, into the surrounding forest. She didn't even try to stop him as he led her towards the hot spring they had bathed in.

They kicked off their shoes, and Sesshoumaru rolled up the legs on his pants, and together, they sat down on the bank of the spring and dangled their feet in the warm water.

Sesshoumaru wrapped an arm around Kagome's shoulders, and smiled when she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" Sesshoumaru asked after they had sat there in silence for a few minutes.

"I was thinking about what you and Inuyasha had said after you thought I had gone to sleep," she told him.

"I didn't know you were still awake," Sesshoumaru said, raising an eyebrow at her.

Kagome smiled, not looking at him. "That was the point of me pretending to be asleep."

That sat in silence for a few minutes, before Kagome broke the stillness of the night air.

"You want me to give you a chance, so I have to know more about you.

"What do you want to know?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking down at the top of her head.

Kagome thought about it for a minute. What did she want to know about the youkai sitting next to her? "Tell me about your childhood," she said.

"Not much to tell," he said. "I was raised to be the next ruler of the Western Lands. I sat in on meetings, learned politics, and was trained by the best scholars my parents could find."

"That's all? You didn't have any friends that you played with?" Kagome asked. She looked up at him to see his expression, but he had turned from her, his face blank.

"I had no need for companions when I was young," Sesshoumaru said.

Kagome nodded, dropping the subject. It was obviously a touchy subject.

"Where's your mother?" she asked, changing the subject.

"She lives at the castle still."

"Oh, um," Kagome stuttered, confused.

Their father had taken another mate after Sesshoumaru's mother, since Inuyasha had a different mother. So she had assumed that she had been essentially divorced and kicked out. Or dead.

"After my father met Inuyasha's mother, my parents had a fight, and after that, my mother stopped sleeping in the same room as my father," he offered by way of explanation.

"Oh," Kagome said quietly. She wrapped an arm around his waist and scooted a bit closer to him, her head resting against his shoulder. They stayed like that for a while.

"Is there anything else you want to know about me?" Sesshoumaru asked, squeezing her shoulder.

Kagome thought for a moment. Well, she tried to think of something else to ask him, but she was starting to feel tired. She shook her head and pulled her feet from the water, curling them underneath her body, leaning against Sesshoumaru, taking in his warmth. She slowly drifted off to sleep cuddled up against Sesshoumaru's side.

He sat there for a while longer, just holding her against his body. He pulled his feet from the spring and rolled his pants back down before standing up with Kagome in his arms and slipped his shoes back on. Sesshoumaru walked back to the campsite and slipped Kagome back in her bag, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek before returning to his spot in the tree.

Vscene changeV

The next day found the group back on the road, travelling in the direction the rumors pointed them in.

Kagome stayed close to Inuyasha, but not as close as she had over the previous days. She felt safer than she had in the past around Sesshoumaru, confident that he would protect her as fiercely as Inuyasha would. All of her friends would protect her.

Sesshoumaru no longer walked at the very front of the group. Instead, he now walked closer to Kagome, keeping an eye on her and Inuyasha.

Now, Miroku and Sango were forced to walk at the front of the group, Ah-Un following behind them with Shippo, Rin, and Kirara on his back. The two humans both thought it odd that the inu brothers were not fighting over who got to be 'leader of the pack'.

Needless to say, everyone was confused by everyone else's behavior.

Vscene changeV

That night, as everyone settled in for the night, Kagome laid her sleeping bag next to the base of a tree, causing Inuyasha to raise an eyebrow at her. He said nothing, and jumped up into a different tree that he could see her clearly from. But he wouldn't be staying up that night. Nope, it was Sesshoumaru's turn to keep watch yet again.

Shippo and Rin had gone to sleep with Sango, to protect her from the lecherous monk.

After everyone else had gone to sleep, Kagome still lay awake, staring at the stars through the trees. She wasn't surprised when Sesshoumaru dropped out of the tree she was sleeping under and sat next to her.

"What are you doing?" Kagome asked him as he peered down at her.

"Sitting down here. It's much more comfortable than the tree," he told her.

"Oh. Then why do you always sit up there until Inuyasha is asleep if it's so uncomfortable?" she asked, sitting up and scooting backward until her back was pressed against the tree next to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru smiled in the dark. "If I stayed on the forest floor, so would Inuyasha, and we wouldn't be able to speak with each other," he explained.

"I didn't know I was so interesting that you feel compelled to trick your brother just so you could speak with me," Kagome said with a small smile.

Sesshoumaru said nothing, only began to stand up. Until a hand on his sleeve stopped him. But he didn't sit back down.

"Please, don't go. I was only joking," Kagome said, her hand wrapped in the material of his sleeve.

"You don't want me to go?" he asked, not looking at her.

"No, I don't. I want you to stay down here with me," Kagome said, a pleading note in her voice. She reached up with her other hand and grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly.

Sesshoumaru nodded and sat back down next to her.

Kagome snuggled up to Sesshoumaru's side, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, using his hand she still held. She rested her head against his shoulder, still clinging to his hand.

"You do know I was just joking, right?" Kagome asked, peeking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I wanted to see what your reaction to me leaving would be."

Kagome sat up and stared at Sesshoumaru. "That was a mean trick."

"I know," he said, pulling her back against his side. "But, if it was so mean, why is it you are still hanging onto my hand?" he asked.

"Because I want to," Kagome replied, snuggling against his side. "But don't do that again."

They stayed awake, talking for a long time afterwards. Kagome stayed snuggled against Sesshoumaru's side until she fell asleep. After a while, he tucked her back into her sleeping bag and just stayed sitting by her, watching her sleep.

Vscene changeV

The next morning, Kagome awoke feeling refreshed. More refreshed than she should have, considering how late she had stayed up talking with Sesshoumaru.

Kagome got up and grabbed clothes and went out into the woods where she could get dressed without worrying about being watched. She quickly got dressed and took care of her necessities before heading back in the direction she had come from, wanting to return to the group as soon as she could. She couldn't quite shake the feeling that she was being watched since she entered the forest.

But she never made it back to the group.

Vscene changeV

Kagome awoke with a start, in the dark, sitting up and looking around. She saw long, flowing, white hair to her left and snuggled up to Sesshoumaru's side.

"I had a nightmare," she said quietly. She heard a grunt from above, and assumed that was him telling her to continue. "It was morning and I had gone out into the woods to get dressed, and I was on my way back to the camp, but I ran into Naraku and he kidnapped me. And I couldn't get away from him."

"Oh, that was no nightmare, my dear," a smooth voice said from above her head.

Kagome sat up, away from the warm body she had been snuggled up against, and saw Naraku's face wrapped in his baboon pelt.

"Oh kami," Kagome whimpered, scooting away from the evil hanyou, until she bumped into a stone wall, and she knew she was trapped.

TBC...


	7. The Demise

A/N: Um, yea, I get the idea that I will be hunted down after people read this chapter. But, please, keep in mind that if anyone hurts me, I won't be able to write at all.

Disclaimer: Yea, haven't done one of these in a while, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't own Inuyasha.

**Chapter 7: The Demise**

Kaogme tried to make herself into as small a ball as she possibly could. After her initial encounter with Naraku, he had left her alone, saying he had other matters to attend to. And now that she'd had time to calm down, she was trying to come up with a plan to get herself out of the sitution she had gotten herself into.

It really was her own fault that she was in this situation. It had been incredibly stupid of her to go out into the woods without anyone with her. She had told herself it was so she could get some privacy, but Sango could have gone with her.

She had even said it herself, to Inuyasha, just the other night; the only being after the Shikon no Tama that was brave enough or stupid enough to get that close to where Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were working together was Naraku. And apparently she had been right.

Now, she needed a plan to get away from the evil hanyou, maybe even getting some of the tama that he possessed and decrease his power in the process. And then, after all that, she needed, more than anything, to get back to her friends. She needed that comfort.

Kagome stopped huddling in on herself and sat up straighter, taking deep calming breaths, trying to center herself, so she could think clearly. Sitting there, panicking, was not going to help her any.

/scene change/

Naraku sauntered into the room he had left the miko in, expecting to find her huddled in a corner of the room, but he was stunned when he saw her standing proudly in the middle of the stone room. He smiled at her.

"Still hoping for Inuyasha to come to your rescue?" he asked, closing the door and walking further into the room.

Kagome shook her head with a smile on her lips. "No. I'm going to get myself out of here. I have to pay Jaken back for dumping cold water on me the other morning to wake me up," she said, a malicious glint appearing in her eyes.

"You think I'll just let you walk right out of here?" Naraku asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Kagome just smiled as she walked towards the evil hanyou, nodding once as she slid her hands up his chest, to his shoulders. Kagome concentrated on the curl of power deep in her being that she pulled from when she shot off her echanted arrows and pushed the power down her arms, towards her hands. "I think you'll let me do anything I want when you're laying on the floor, dying," she whispered into the dark tangle of his hair next to his ear. Without giving Naraku anytime to react, Kagome shoved all the power she could into the evil hanyou through her hands, purifying all the youkai that Naraku had absorbed into his body over the years. She held onto him tightly as he fell to the floor, still pooring her pour into him, her energy searching out the Shikon no Tama that he had and purifying that as well.

Once Naraku was just laying on the floor, the only proof that he was still alive the rise and fall of his chest, Kagome reached into his sleeve, where she could sense the almost complete Shikon no Tama. She wrapped her hand around the jewel, and felt another crystal next to it, and grabbed that, too, and pulled her hand out. As soon as her hand was free of the fabric, Kagome turned away from the crispy critter that used to be Naraku.

Kagome looked down at her hand and uncurled her fingers to find a softly glowing Shikon no Tama and an oddly shaped, blood-red crystal resting in her palm. Not knowing what to think of it, Kagome put the two jewels in her pocket, then tried to stand. Having expended a lot of her energy to do as much damage to Naraku as she did, it took her several tries before she got her feet under her and they actually stayed there.

"You stay here. I'll send Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru to finish you off," she said dryly.

She started for the door, but was stopped when Kagura appeared in the doorway.

But the wind sorceress completely ignored the worn out miko and headed straight for the near dead Naraku. "My heart, where is my heart," she muttered as she patted him down. Not finding what she was looking for, she turned on Kagome.

"What have you done with my heart?" Kagura questioned, stalking towards the miko.

Kagome thought for a moment about what the wind soceress could possibly mean. Then, she remembered the crimson crystal she had pulled from Naraku's sleeve along wth the Shikon no Tama. Pulling said crystal from her pocket, Kagome waved it in front of Kagura. "Do you mean this?" she asked.

"Yes. Yes. That is my heart. Naraku used it to control me," Kagura said, her eyes trained on the small jewel. "Give it back to me, please?"

Kagome thought for a moment. "If I give it back, do you promise to behave and not cause any trouble?" she asked.

Kagura nodded. "Yes. I never wanted to do what Naraku ordered me to do, but I didn't have much of a choice."

"I'll hold you to your word," Kagome said, then tossed the crystal at Kagura who caught it with the greatest of care. "If I hear about you causing any trouble, I'll hunt you down," she warned.

"You don't have to worry about Kanna or I anymore," Kagura said, then bowed. "Since you returned my heart, I will guide you out of the castle. Sesshoumaru-sama and your companions should be here soon."

Kagome nodded her thanks, too tired to do much more. She staggered behind Kagura, her hand braced against the stone wall to help keep her balance. She stumbled out into the open courtyard of the estate Naraku had taken over.

"Kagome," Inuyasha yelled as he and his elder brother raced towards her.

Kagome looked up when her name was yelled and saw her friends passing through the gates. She started to collapse, but was caught by white, voluminous sleeves.

"Kagura, where is Kohaku?" Kagome asked, looking at the wind sorceress, who was still standing by the door they had come out of.

"I'll get him for you, if you would like," Kagura answered.

Kagome nodded. "Yes, please. And show Inuyasha where Naraku is," she added.

Inuyasha shook his head. "I'm not leaving you until I know what happened to you," he said firmly.

Kagome sighed tiredly. "I just used too much energy getting away from Naraku. Now, go finish him off before he calls more demons to himself," she said, glaring at the hanyou. "Sesshoumaru can watch over me for a few minutes," Kagome added, looking up at the youkai lord, who nodded in response.

Inuyasha nodded, then followed Kagura inside the building Kagome had just escaped from. The rest of her travelling companions came up to stand around where Kagome stood, supported by Sesshoumaru's arms.

"Can we really trust her, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, staring at the door the two had disappeared through.

Kagome only nodded, leaning more of her weight on Sesshoumaru.

A few minutes later, Inuyasha came back out, Kagura right behind him, with a bawling Kohaku in her arms. Kagura handed Kohaku over to Sango, who had run over to them the minute she saw them.

"Is Naraku dead?" Kagome asked Inuyasha.

"Yeah, we don't have to worry about him anymore," Inuyasha responded.

"Good," Kagome breathed before she passed out.

Sesshoumaru scooped her up in his arms and glared at the others when they tried to rush up to check on her.

"Let her rest, and after she wakes, you can pester her," he told them. "We should go somewhere that she can rest comfortably until she wakes up."

The group agreed and headed back to Kaede's village. Jaken, Rin, and Shippo rode on Ah-Un, Sango and Miroku rode Kirara, Sesshoumaru carried Kagome, and Inuyasha led the way. Even though they had been travelling for over two weeks straight, they had, in fact, been circling Inuyasha's Forest the whole time, so it only took them a few hours to reach the village.

Once there, Sesshoumaru took Kagome inside Inuyasha's hut and laid her down on her sleeping bag that Shippo and Rin had rolled out for him.

Sesshoumaru walked back out and came face to face with a glaring Inuyasha.

"I was the one to strike the final blow, so you can just leave now," Inuyasha said.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Sesshoumaru tutted his younger brother. "It is Kagome's choice, now," he told Inuyasha.

"I think she already made her choice when she asked me to go kill Naraku," Inuyasha said with a growl in his voice.

"We will see what Kagome has to say when she awakens," Sesshoumaru said before walking over to where Rin was eating.

/scene change/

Kagome awoke in the dark with a start. Last she could remember, she was in Sesshoumaru's arms and Inuyasha had told her that Naraku was dead.

"How are you feeling?" Sesshoumaru's cool voice came to her out of the dark.

Kagome looked in the direction his voice had come from and saw his chilling amber eyes floating in the darkness.

"I'm tired," Kagome said, staring up into his eyes.

"Now that you're awake, you can tell this jackass to leave," Inuyasha's voice came from her other side.

Kagome looked in Inuyasha's direction to find his molten gold eyes hovering above her.

"And why should I do that?" Kagome asked, then looked around a bit. "Is it possible to get some light in here? I'm not like you guys." A moment later, a small flame flickered to life, and soon several candles were lit.

"There," Inuyasha said, shaking out the match. "And Sesshoumaru needs to leave because he has no business here anymore. Naraku is dead, so the deal he and I made is over. I was the one that struck the final blow, so it's in my favor."

Kagome sat up and shook her head. "Yes, your deal with him is done, but Sesshoumaru and I made a deal, as well," she said, looking at Inuyasha. "I'd appreciate it if you would give us some time alone, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha 'keh'ed before he stood up and stormed out of the hut, muttering under his breath as he went.

Kagome watched as he left, then turned to Sesshoumaru after the hanyou was gone. "So, have fun picking on your brother while I was out cold?" she asked.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Quite a bit, actually," he replied.

Kagome shook her head and sighed. "I can't leave you two alone, at all, can I?" she said.

"It would probably be wise not to in the future," Sesshoumaru said as he moved closer to Kagome's side, unnoticed by the woman.

Kagome yawned as she looked in Sesshoumaru's direction, her eyes having to refocus because he was closer than he had been the last time she looked at him. She watched as his right hand came towards her, slowly, so that she could see the movement.

Sesshoumaru allowed his fingers to run through her hair for a moment before he looked up at her. She was so close, he could have kissed her just by leaning a fraction of an inch closer to her.

But he didn't have to.

Kagome trailed her hand up Sesshoumaru's arm to his shoulder and used it as leverage so that she could pull herself up to his lips. Planting a chaste kiss on him, Kagome pulled away.

"I'm still tired. Let me sleep, and I'll figure out what to do after I wake up again," she told him, slowly lowering herself to lay on her sleeping bag once more.

Sesshoumaru nodded and moved to stand up so that he could give her some privacy, but her hand was tangled in his sleeve.

"Don't leave me alone," Kagome whispered, drifting off to sleep.

"I won't," Sesshoumaru said, though it was useless, since Kagome was already asleep. He took her hand in his and a small smile spread across his features as she gripped his hand in hers.

/scene change/

When Kagome awoke again, there was daylight streaming into the hut. She sat up and looked around, only to find that there was no one in there with her. At least she had made her decision in her dreams, and that is what she would stick with. Now, all she had to do was find the boys and tell them what she had decided.

She got up and walked out of the hut to see her dream playing out before her eyes. Kagome screamed as she ran towards the two fighting inus, but it seemed like she wasn't moving at all.

Sesshoumaru was laying, bloody and beaten in the dirt. Inuyasha stood over him, Tetsusaiga poised and ready to strike the final blow. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo stood off to the side, watching in horror.

"Inuyasha, don't," Kagome screamed, running and finally making some progress. She threw herself bodily on top of Sesshoumaru just as Inuyasha began his downward stroke. "Don't you dare," she said, looking over her shoulder to glare at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha stopped his sword, but his reflexes weren't good enough, and the blade nicked Kagome's shoulder. He pulled back so suddenly that he fell on his butt in the dirt.

"Kagome, I'm so sorry," Inuyasha said, tossing the Tetsusaiga away from him. "It's not supposed to be able to harm humans. It's not supposed to be able to harm humans," he kept repeating, staring at the blood blossoming on Kagome's shirt.

Miroku and Sango rushed forward to check on Kagome. Shippo stayed where he was, too stunned to move.

Kagome sat up, her hand instantly going to the bleeding wound. Her attention moved to Sesshoumaru as he moved in front of her, a groan of pain coming from him. "Sesshoumaru, are you okay?" Kagome asked as her friends reached her, just to ask her the very same question. Together, they helped Sesshoumaru sit up, then began taking stock of his injuries.

"What happened?" Kagome asked her friends as she looked over Sesshoumaru's body, wincing at some of the wounds.

"Inuyasha overreacted to something Sesshoumaru said, then attacked him when he wasn't looking," Sango explained from the other side of Sesshoumaru.

Kagome looked over her shoulder at Inuyasha and glared. "Watch him for a moment," she said before going to Inuyasha. "What were you thinking?" she asked him.

"I was jealous. You agreed to be my mate and he was talking about you going with him," Inuyasha said.

Kagome sighed. "That was before I knew that there was anything else out there that would appeal to me," she responded.

"What are you saying?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm saying, I don't want to be your mate, Inuyasha," Kagome said before she stood up and returned to Sesshoumaru's side.


	8. Shard Collecting

A/N: One more chapter and an epilogue, and this fic will be done.

And to those that don't like the idea of this being a Sess/Kag fic, too bad for you. This is my fic, and I'll write what I want. And people that thought that asking me to make this a certain pairing would sway me, sorry, but of all the things that I didn't have planned from the beginning, the pairing was not one of those things. The pairing has been decided from almost the beginning. NO changing that.

The reason for that: This is the sequel to my other fic, The Job, also a Sess/Kag fic.

I hope this didn't offend some people, namely those still reading, but I just got sick of recieving so many reviews complaining that the characters(mainly Sesshoumaru) were OOC, and that they were so disappointed and stopping reading, for the sole fact of the pairing. I'm terribly saddened that people can be so prejudiced.

**Chapter 8: Shard Collecting**

Sesshoumaru awoke with a groan. He tried to sit up, but found his muscles protesting.

"Hey, just stay where you are," Kagome said as she came into the room she left Sesshoumaru in while she had gone to get something to eat. "Geez, I leave you alone for five minutes and you try to open any wounds that may have already closed," she said as she moved to sit next to him, setting the bowl of rice she had gone after on the floor.

"Where is Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking around the room as best he could while laying down like he was.

"He's off sulking," Kagome said with a grim smile. "He's really upset that the Tetsusaiga actually cut me. And over the fact that I told him I didn't want to be his mate."

Sesshoumaru looked up at Kagome with a bit of surprise on his face.

Before he could utter a word, Kagome laid a finger against his parted lips. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to be your mate right away," she told him with a smile. "I haven't spent enough time with you yet."

"Yet you felt compelled to throw your body on top of mine to protect me," he said.

"There was no reason to kill you," Kagome said, looking away from his piercing golden gaze.

"I suppose I should be grateful for that, then," Sesshoumaru said. "I'd like to sit up, if you don't mind."

"What if I do mind? I didn't spend the last several hours tending to you, just so that when you woke up you could move and reopen your wounds," Kagome said with a sly smile.

Sesshoumaru glared at the miko. "Sitting up will not do that much damage," he said as he levered his upper body up with his arms.

Kagome hufed at his choice to move, but quickly helped him to finish sitting up. Once he was sitting up against the wall that had been at his head, she glared at him. "You are so stubborn."

"Kagome-chan, have you figured out what we are going to do about Kohaku?" Sango asked, poking her head into the room. "I've got him calmed down, but he still has a shard in his back, and I'm afraid that if we take it out, he'll die," she said, worry clearly evident in her voice.

Kagome thought for a moment, then looked at Sesshoumaru. More accurately, the sword leaning against the wall beside Sesshoumaru. "I might just have an idea," she said with a knowing smile. "Sesshoumaru has the Tenseiga."

Sesshoumaru caught onto her idea. "Remove the shard, and if he dies, I will bring him back," he said.

"Exactly," Kagome said with a smile. "We can do it after you've healed a bit more," she added, with a pointed glance at Sesshoumaru. "It'll give me some time to contact Kouga so that I can get his shards from him."

Sango nodded in agreement, said her thanks, and then left the two alone.

"I appreciate you doing that for Sango," Kagome said with a shy smile.

"Anything for you," Sesshoumaru said with a smirk, taking her hand in his and brought it to his lips for a light kiss.

"I kind of doubt that you would do anything for me," Kagome scoffed.

"I didn't fight back earlier. Only as much as was needed to defend myself against Inuyasha's attacks."

"And look where it got you," Kagome said with a snort.

Sesshoumaru let out a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll send Jaken to find the wolf prince to summon him here," he said, looking away from Kagome.

Kagome picked up the rice she had set on the floor a while ago and handed it to Sesshoumaru. "Eat this. You won't heal if you don't eat anything," she said before standing up and walking out.

scene change

The next day, Jaken returned with Kouga. The wolf prince was thrilled that Kagome had called for him, but his mood dimmed when he was informed that it was only to get his jewel shards.

"Kouga, you don't have to worry anymore. Naraku is dead and Kagura swore she wouldn't cause any trouble. You don't need my shards anymore," Kagome said, hoping to reason with the wolf youkai.

"What exactly do you mean by your shards?" Kouga asked.

"I am the protector of the Shikon no Tama. It is my responsibility to collect all the shards. That, technically, makes the shards you have in your possession mine," Kagome said authoritatively

"Oh. I didn't think of it that way," Kouga said, looking solemn. He leaned down and pulled the jewel shards from his legs. Kouga stood up and handed the shards to Kagome. "I entrust these to your care, Kagome," he said, head bowed.

"Thank you," Kagome said as she took the shards. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some other matters to attend to," she said.

Kagome went back into the hut she left Sesshoumaru in to find him standing. Shirtless.

"What are you doing up?" Kagome asked, turning her back on him.

"My wounds are healed. There is no reason for me to lounge about any longer. We also need to remove the shard from the young slayers back," Sesshoumaru said, pulling his shirt on.

"Oh," Kagome said, keeping her back turned to the youkai.

"Why are you upset with me?" he asked, coming up behind Kagome and placing a hand on her shoulder. When she tried to move away from him, he wrapped his arms around her torso. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me why you've been acting odd," he told her, his lips next to her ear.

"You really want to know?" Kagome asked. She felt his nod next to her head and sighed. "I'm in love with you and that scares me," she confessed, her body tense in his arms.

Sesshoumaru turned her in his arms so that she faced him. "Good," he whispered before he crushed his lips against hers.

Kagome gasped into the kiss, her mouth opening up to Sesshoumaru. Slowly, she relaxed into Sesshoumaru's body, her arms twining around his neck, and her mouth responding to his. His tongue glided into her mouth and rubbed against hers.

A throat clearing made them pull apart, Sesshoumaru growling at whoever had dared to interrupt them.

"Sorry to bother you when you seem to be having so much fun, but we still have matters that need to be attended to," Miroku said, his eyes averted from the couple.

Kagome buried her face in Sesshoumaru's chest, embarrassed beyond belief.

"We'll be out shortly," Sesshoumaru said, glaring at the intruding monk.

"Of course, Sesshoumaru-sama," Miroku said, bowing slightly before leaving the hut.

After Miroku was gone, Sesshoumaru returned his attention to Kagome.

"Kagome."

"Hm."

"Mate with me?" he whispered against her ear.

"Now?" She pulled back to stare up at his face.

"We don't have time to now," he said with a grin.

"Right," Kagome said, blushing.

"Just say yes," Sesshoumaru whispered against her temple.

"Yes."

Sesshoumaru placed a chaste kiss on her lips, then pulled away. "We should do what needs to be done," he said.

Kagome nodded and didn't move to leave Sesshoumaru's arms.

Sesshoumaru's lips twitched up in a slight smile as he turned her around and walked them out of the hut.

"This is going to hurt, Kohaku, but it has to be done," Sango was explaining to her younger brother.

Kohaku nodded. "I understand."

"And you have to stay still, no mattered what," Sango added.

"I understand," Kohaku said.

"Sit down, right here," Sango said, pointing at the soil right in front of where she knelt. She watched as her younger brother sat in front of her, complete trust in his sister shining in his eyes.

Kagome kneeled behind Kohaku, who had already taken his shirt off. She concentrated on the feeling that she got from the shards and placed her hand on his back.

Kaede had kneeled next to Kagome, various healing herbs, bandages, and rags set spread out beside her, a large bowl of warm water on her other side. In her hands, she held a blade, waiting for Kagome to find the shard and tell her when to give the young miko the knife.

Kagome concentrated on Kohaku's back, her hand moving over all of his scars first. She could sense the shard coming from his back in general, but she needed to find exactly where the shard lay in his back. Finally, her hand settled over a small scar on his lower back, and she could feel the concentrated aura of the shard.

"It's right here, in this scar," Kagome said. "Naraku must have put it in one of the arrow wounds."

Kagome held out her right hand to Kaede and curled her fingers when she felt the hilt of the small blade placed in her palm. Taking a deep, soothing breath, Kagome stared Kohaku's back. She placed the tip of the blade at one end of the small scar and drew it down the length of the scar, applying pressure. She handed the bloody blade back to Kaede and, with a grimace, pushed her fingers into Kohaku's flesh until her fingertips brushed against the shard. With a bit of a shudder, Kagome pulled the shard out of his back, and moved away from him so that Kaede could bandage him up.

Kagome stayed sitting on the ground, her hand holding the shard clutched tightly to her chest, clasped in her other hand. She stared blindly as Kaede worked on the boys back, applying herbs and trying to stop the blood flow. Kagome didn't even notice when Sesshoumaru slid in behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm going to take Kagome inside," Sesshoumaru said, standing up with Kagome in his arms and moving towards the hut.

Sesshoumaru sat on a folded up futon, his back resting against the side of the hut, Kagome still in his lap, and tucked her head under his chin.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked, stroking her hair away from her face.

Kagome nodded, rubbing her cheek against Sesshoumaru's chest, glad he wasn't wearing his armor. "I'll be fine," she said, her voice quiet.

Sesshoumaru nodded, taking her at her word.

scene change

The next week passed in relative peace. A few demons had been attracted by the draw of the complete Shikon no Tama, but Sesshoumaru dispensed of them quickly.

Kohaku's back was healing just fine after having the shard removed from his back, and was even up and moving around, much to the dismay of Kaede, who insisted he should stay in bed a while longer.

Kagome was all smiles, though she had yet to let Sesshoumaru truly make her his mate. But they still slept in the same hut together, with Rin and Shippo snuggled up on either side of her, Sesshoumaru watching over all three of them.

Kagome had laughed when she overheard Shippo and Rin trying to plan to hook her up with Sesshoumaru, and told them it wasn't needed.

Kagome also explained to Sesshoumaru where she really came from, including everything about the well.

Miroku asked Sango to marry him, and she agreed. He got Inuyasha to help him, and they are building a home for after the wedding.

Inuyasha still hangs around the village, but avoids Sesshoumaru and Kagome when he can. He stays because he has been assured that Sesshoumaru and Kagome would be leaving before long.

scene change

Kagome was just getting back to the hut, wanting some time to think before she was bombarded by children. She unrolled her sleeping bag and sat by the fire, staring at the glowing flames. She looked up when Sesshoumaru entered the room a few minutes later, and gave him a smile.

"Where is Rin and Shippo?" Kagome asked.

"They will be staying with the others tonight," Sesshoumaru said, walking around behind Kagome and sitting down. "Do you remember what I asked you last week?" he asked, moving so that he sat with one leg on either side of her hips.

Kagome looked over her shoulder at him confused.

"I asked you to be my mate," Sesshoumaru said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Oh, right," Kagome said, stiffening in his arms.

"Do you regret agreeing?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Kagome relaxed in his arms and leaned back against his chest, shaking her head. "No, I don't regret it," she said with a smile.

Sesshoumaru turned her face towards his and laid a gentle kiss on her lips. "The monk and the slayer are watching the children, and we don't have to worry about them for the rest of the night," he said, nuzzling his face into her silky hair.

Kagome turned around in Sesshoumaru's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. She nuzzled her face into his chest, inhaling his scent deeply. "And what did you have in mind, with no children around?" Kagome asked into his chest.

Sesshoumaru placed his hand on her chin and lifted her face away from his body so that he could kiss her again. His tongue pressed at the seem of her lips and slipped passed them when she opened her mouth. Their tongues rubbed sensuously together while his hands roamed her body before she pulled away.

"So, that's what you had in mind," Kagome said with a small, mischievous smile, a glint in her eye. Her smile spread at his nod.


	9. The End

A/N: Oka, so I know that it's been forever (a year) since I updated this. Good news is, this is the absolute last chapter of this fic. It's done now. Complete. Finished. I already know that I'm going to get a lot of angry reviews about the ending, but please, keep in mind that this is a prequel to my other fic, "The Job". Oh, and I don't want to hear anyone complaining about this being a Sess/Kag fic, cause all you have to do is look at the other fics that I've wrote to realize, almost all I write is Sess/Kag fics.

Last Time (since it's been so long) ...

Kagome turned around in Sesshoumaru's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. She nuzzled her face into his chest, inhaling his scent deeply. "And what did you have in mind, with no children around?" Kagome asked into his chest.

Sesshoumaru placed his hand on her chin and lifted her face away from his body so that he could kiss her again. His tongue pressed at the seem of her lips and slipped passed them when she opened her mouth. Their tongues rubbed sensuously together while his hands roamed her body before she pulled away.

"So, that's what you had in mind," Kagome said with a small, mischievous smile, a glint in her eye. Her smile spread at his nod.

And Now, On with the story ...

Kagome slid her arms behind Sesshoumaru's back, tangling her fingers in his hair. She felt his slender fingers grip her chin and tilt her face up to meet his, her eyes opening long enough to see his face lowering towards her before her lids closed again in anticipation of the kiss. She felt his soft lips graze her mouth, before glancing across her cheek, until his nose ended up buried in her hair behind her ear.

Sesshoumaru gently nipped the skin behind her ear before placing a kiss there. Trailing his hands down to Kagome's hips, he maneuvered her until she straddled his lap, bringing her close enough to kiss. His lips moved over hers, his tongue seeking entrance to her mouth. While his mouth was busy, his hands trailed down her body until they came to the ties on the front of her shirt and his fingers quickly untied the knot. He yanked the front of her shirt open, revealing more flesh to his hands, which he let fully roam her soft flesh.

A/N: If you want the rest, which just so happens to be sex, you have to go to my accounts at either or since I have proven in the past that does not appreciate my insight. Please remember to take out the spaces. http // inu . adult fan fiction . net / story . php ? no 16919 & chapter or http // www . media miner . org / fanfic / view ch . php / 41788 / 474992 /

Enjoy!


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